by Scott Lindlaw, The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President Bush signed an immigration bill yesterday meant to screen out terrorists by using high-tech passports and more border enforcers to check millions of people who enter the United States each year.
The new law also will mean closer monitoring of foreign students here.
“America is not a fortress and we never want to be a fortress,” Bush said at a signing ceremony. “But on the other hand, we can do a better job of making our borders more secure and make our borders smart.”
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., called the measure “the most important bill passed post-9/11.”
“It’s the first time security has really become part of immigration policy,” she said.
The new law will require that passports issued after 2003 contain fingerprints or facial-recognition technology and be tamper-proof. It will bar the use of certain visas by people from countries listed as terrorism sponsors, including Iraq, North Korea, Iran, Sudan, Cuba, Libya and Syria.
The law strengthens requirements that planes and passenger ships traveling from other countries provide lists of passengers and crew members to a U.S. border officer before arriving. It reiterates the need for a database of suspected terrorists that federal agencies can use to screen visa applicants.
Several of the Sept. 11 hijackers were in the country on student visas, and the new law creates an elaborate tracking system of foreign students.
It will record the acceptance and enrollment of foreigners by schools and the issuance of student visas. It also will require schools to tell government officials if foreign students do not report for class.
The law also authorizes 400 additional immigration investigators, inspectors and other staff members for the Immigration and Naturalization Service, subject to Congress financing them.