Sen. Feinstein scrutinizes student visas

"I do have a concern that in the last 10 years, more than 16,000 students came from such terrorist-supporting states as Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Libya, and Syria," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) after rescinding her call for a six-month moratorium on international student visas, originally proposed just three weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks. In lieu of a complete halt, she has recently called for closer tracking of foreign students during their stays in the U.S.

GETTY IMAGES Sen. Diane Feinstein (D-CA) remains a strong proponent of more stringent student immigration laws.

Feinstein indicated that she was still not satisfied with the current systems that are in place for tracking international students. Laws have been on the books for many years that require universities to keep records of foreign students. Ann Kuhlman, director of the Office for International Students and Scholars at Yale, said, "The immigration service has always had the ability to request information. No one has ever disputed the right of the government to do that. Regulations just haven't been enforced until now."

In response to growing concerns over the relatively unscrutinized and anonymous nature of student travel, Congress passed a law in 1996 that called for an electronic system to track all international students. Under federal law, universities are required to keep records of their current students, including information such as country of citizenship, degree program and field of study, and any disciplinary actions taken as a result of criminal conviction. The database, called the Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP), would simply file all of this information in a web-based interface.

But the Association of International Educators (NAFSA) has concerns about the proposed implementation of this plan. The current proposal requires students to pay a $95 fee in order to receive a visa. The money would be used to maintain an electronic database of foreign students.

"The issue is the way they have to go about [paying]. They must access a website and use a credit card to pay," Ursula Oaks, a NAFSA spokeswoman, said. "Otherwise, they have to send the money through the mail. In countries where the mail system isn't reliable, some students might not be able to come to the U.S."

The actual implementation of the new software in universities across the nation is another serious concern for NAFSA. "For a university like Yale which has sophisticated information technology, this isn't a problem. Smaller universities, however, might find it difficult," Oaks noted.

One potential solution to the program's logistical problems is simply to have the government, instead of foreign students, pay for it. "If the government feels that it's needed for national security, perhaps the government should fund the program," Oaks said.

Feinstein's proposal is just one of an entire series of bills introduced that would require immigrants to pass background checks before being able to enter the United States. One such proposal, from Sen. Christopher Bond (R-MO), would require all immigrants entering the country on a visa to pass an inspection—one that would help to identify suspected terrorists before they are able to enter the country.

Oaks and others, however, remain worried that the government might overreact.

"All we know is what we've heard in the media," Oaks said. "Focusing narrowly on students makes no sense. Foreign students are an important asset. We can't shut them out."

If the government had a concern about specific international students at Yale, the FBI or INS would most likely contact the University directly. Both the FBI office in New Haven and FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C. refused to comment.

"If we did [collect information from Yale], it would be part of an investigation," a spokeswoman for the FBI in Washington said. "I wouldn't be able to tell you."

Back to News...