Subject: [hbe-l] Senator Feinstein May Propose 6-Month Moratorium on Student Visas Resent-Date: Thu, 27 Sep 2001 13:18:11 -0400 (EDT) From: Premise Checker <checker at clark.net>
Daily report from the Chronicle of Higher Education, http://chronicle.com
Monday, September 24, 2001
Senator Feinstein May Propose 6-Month Moratorium on Student Visas By SARA HEBEL and RON SOUTHWICK
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a California Democrat worried about reports that at least one man involved in this month's terrorist attacks entered the United States on a student visa, may propose legislation that would prevent the federal government from issuing any student visas for the next six months.
In a conversation with The New York Times on Thursday, Senator Feinstein, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said she has considered drafting legislation to impose the six-month moratorium or make other changes to the ways students who enter the country on student visas are monitored, according to Jim Hock, the senator's press secretary. However, the senator has not made any final decision about whether she might decide to offer a bill, Mr. Hock added.
Senator Feinstein was "troubled," Mr. Hock said, by reports that Hani Hanjour, one of the suspected hijackers in the September 11 terrorist attacks, entered the United States on a student visa issued so he could study English at Holy Names College, in Oakland, Calif. He never showed up for class.
Edward M. Elmendorf, vice president for governmental relations at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, said that Senator Feinstein's idea would go too far. "It's a wrong-headed move," Mr. Elmendorf said. "It's unnecessarily restrictive."
College lobbyists and advocates have previously expressed worries about the prospect of restrictions on the admission of international students. (See an article from The Chronicle, September 18, 2001.) American colleges and universities drew 514,723 students from other countries in the 1999-2000 academic year, according to the Institute of International Education.
California, Ms. Feinstein's state, drew 66,305 students from other countries, more than any other state, according to the institute's report.
Meanwhile, the Immigration and Naturalization Service is scheduled to develop a computer database to monitor foreign students by January 2003. Some college organizations had opposed that effort, but in the wake of the terrorist attacks, those protests have been dropped. NAFSA: Association of International Educators, the chief critic of the database, announced last week that it would no longer oppose the creation of such a database. "The time for debate on this matter is over, and the time to devise a considered response to terrorism has arrived," the group said in a press release.
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***** To: professors_for_peace at yahoogroups.com From: Phil Gasper <pgasper at ndnu.edu> Date: Sat, 29 Sep 2001 08:33:23 -0700 Reply-To: professors_for_peace at yahoogroups.com Subject: [P_F_P] Rally at Diane Feinstein's Office
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 5PM, ONE POST STREET (POST AND MARKET) AT THE MONTGOMERY STREET BART Call Feinstein: (415) 393-0707 or talk to her legislative staff directly at: 202.224.3841 (ask for Camille Camacho and Lavita Strickland)
Berkeley Stop the War Coalition is sponsoring a MASS RALLY against Dianne Feinstein's proposed action to STOP ALL NEW FOREIGN STUDENT VISAS for the next 6 months. This would likely effect well over 100,000 STUDENTS as there were 240,000 new student visas granted over the past year. Her rational is that one of the hijackers had a student visa in Oakland. SHE HAS NOT INTRODUCED HER BILL YET. Let's stop her before she does!!
WE MUST DEFEND OUR CIVIL LIBERTIES. Thomas Jefferson (though not always admirable) wisely said that if we violate civil liberties in exchange for security we will get neither. We must tell Feinstein and the rest of the country loud and clear that WE WILL NOT LET OUR CIVIL LIBERTIES BE VIOLATED, OR THE INTERNATIONAL MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY BE ATTACKED!
Please help us pass out flyers. We will have massive amounts at today's rally in Delores Park.
Contact: Sara at 510.649.1887 or e-mail Jonah at jzern1 at yahoo.com to help/speak/cosponsor.
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To report or learn about demonstrations for peace in your region and for a wide range of other related information see: http://www.u.arizona.edu/~dereka/ *****