The 108th Congress has introduced more than 90 immigration-related bills so far, and advocates on both sides of the immigration debate are watching to see if national security can be tightened while protecting the rights of legal immigrants. Many of the proposals focus on border security. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee has sponsored several bills, including one that calls for a study of traffic stops along the border. Several bills would increase monitoring of the borders, including one introduced last week by Senator Pete Domenici, which boosts funding for border infrastructure and personnel.
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President Bush has ordered increased security at U.S ports of entry in an effort to reduce the threat of terrorism while American forces are at war in Iraq. The stepped-up activity is part of Operation Liberty Shield, a plan introduced by the Department of Homeland Security. Border Czar Asa Hutchinson said that 140 new federal agents will be assigned to the US-Mexico border in Arizona to protect against the threat of terrorism and to combat the flow of illegal immigrants. Mexico has also increased security along the shared border, with 18,000 troops deployed at strategic points, such as electricity installations and water plants.
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A Filipino crew of 20 was denied shore leave upon arrival at a Georgia port this week, forcing them to remain aboard their ship after a five-week journey across the Pacific Ocean. Since the terrorist attacks on Sept 11, 2001, immigration authorities have been hesitant to give the usual permission granted to merchant mariners. Nearly 300,000 merchant mariners visit U.S. ports each year, delivering cars, grain, electronics and other merchandise.
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According to an article in the Washington Post yesterday, Attorney General John Aschroft has issued orders allowing FBI agents and U.S. marshals to detain foreign nationals for alleged immigration violations when there is not enough evidence to hold them on criminal charges. The new regulations were released in December but were not made public. The change is said to signal and attempt by the Justice Department to involve police in immigration matters traditionally handled by INS officers and immigration courts.
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Asa Hutchinson, the undersecretary for border and transportation security, said the Department of Homeland Security might not have enough time to complete an entry-exit system to track foreigners coming into the United States. The deadline, December 2005, was legislated by the USA Patriot Act, the Enhanced Border Security Act and the Visa Entry Reform Act. In testimony before Senate subcommittees, Hutchinson told Congress that immigration officials would have no problem meeting a December 31 deadline for putting a system in place to track foreigners entering and leaving the country by commercial flight or sea-going vessel. But he said other related deadlines would be "a greater challenge," because new systems and infrastructure would be needed.
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US officials said the government will detain new asylum seekers who arrive in the United States from 33 nations thought to have ties to Al Qaeda or other terrorist groups. Authorities said they would not detain asylum seekers already in the United States. Most asylum seekers are not detained and are allowed to live in the country while their request for asylum is processed, which can take up to six months.
