19 years later and still no effective way to track visa overstays
Fri,
Sep. 11th
Today, we think of the nearly 3,000 Americans killed, the tens of thousands injured, and their families as the nation remembers the 9/11 terror attacks in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania.
It's a solemn reminder of our nation's broken immigration enforcement system. Four of the terrorists responsible for the 9/11 attacks were in the U.S. on expired visas and had previous contact with law enforcement.
In 1996, Congress passed legislation authored by former Congressman Lamar Smith of Texas that required the implementation of an entry/exit system to track foreign visitors and ensure that they leave when their visa expires.
Following the attacks in 2001, the 9/11 Commission recommended that a biometric component be added to the entry/exit system, and Congress passed it into law. But 19 years after the attacks, the federal government has yet to fully implement a biometric exit/entry system.
We've posted a new action on your Action Board, urging Congress to require the timely completion of the biometric entry/exit system.
Senate just returned from summer recess; House back next week
Both chambers of Congress will be in session next week through the end of September before adjourning until after the November election.
The top item on their list is to fund the federal government beyond the end of the current fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30.
With no agreement on individual spending bills in sight, Congressional Leaders have agreed to pass a continuing resolution (CR) to extend current funding beyond the Sept. 30 deadline. According to this morning's reports, the only area of disagreement is with how long to extend funding. Leadership is considering an extension through either mid-December or mid-February.
Our biggest concern with CRs is if any bad immigration provisions make their way into the deal. If they do, the only way to oppose them is to vote to shut down the government -- a tall task. Our Capitol Hill team is following the situation closely, and we'll alert you to any problem proposals, so we can fight to get them out of the CR before it comes to a vote.
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Chris Chmielenski
NumbersUSA Deputy Director |
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