The General Accounting Office (GAO) released a study showing that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been extremely unsuccessful in its attempt to track and remove visa overstays.  Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the U.S. has become particularly concerned with overstays due to the fact that four of the terrorists involved were in the U.S. on expired visas. 

The GAO focused on the fact that only a few hundred of the 13,900 overstays who are from countries that “sponsor terrorism” had been removed from the U.S.  The study also pointed out that the lack of DHS enforcement has allowed many overstays to find jobs inside airports, military bases, nuclear power plants and other secure facilities that are possible terrorist targets.  The agency further mentioned that in 2002, only 2% of overstays were arrested.

The GAO pointed out that these figures do not include Mexican and Canadian citizens who overstay their visas.  Mexicans who claim that they will only stay in the U.S. for 72 hours and Canadians who claim that they will stay less than six months are not required to fill out a form I-94.  Such forms can be used to track overstays.  While most Mexican and Canadian overstays are economically motivated, the GAO noted that some overstays from those countries have been involved in terror-related activities.

Although the GAO reported that the DHS has done a poor job in tracking overstays, he believes that the implementation of the U.S.-Visit program next year will help control the overstay problem.  The program requires that foreign visitors be fingerprinted and will have a centralized computer system will monitor their arrivals and departures.