For
Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 29, 2001
Fact
Sheet
Fact Sheet on Increasing Immigration Safeguards and
Improving Vital
Information Sharing
TODAY'S PRESIDENTIAL ACTION
- President Bush convened the first formal meeting of the
full Homeland Security Council (HSC).
- The President took another step in the fight against
terrorism by issuing a Presidential Directive to improve
immigration policies and practices and make it more
difficult for terrorists to enter or remain in the United
States.
ABOUT THE PRESIDENT'S ACTION TO TIGHTEN IMMIGRATION
POLICIES
- Improving legal immigration remains a priority for the
Bush Administration, but the Bush Administration is
committed to ensuring that our immigration policies and
practices do not allow terrorists to enter or remain in
the United States.
- To increase immigration safeguards and improve vital
information sharing between federal agencies, President
Bush issued a new Homeland Security Presidential
Directive to help combat terrorism through more effective
immigration policies and practices.
- Among its key features, the Presidential
Directive:
- Creates a Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force: The
Task Force will coordinate Federal programs designed to:
(1) deny entry into the U.S. of aliens associated
with, suspected of being engaged in or supporting
terrorist activity; and (2) locate, detain,
prosecute, or deport any such aliens already present in
the U.S. The Task Force will be established by the
Attorney General by November 1. Experts from the State
Department, FBI, INS, Secret Service, Customs Service and
the intelligence community will serve on the Task
Force.
- Orders a Thorough Review of Student Visa Policies:
International students add greatly to the vitality and
quality of our nation's colleges, universities and other
institutions of learning. The Presidential Directive
orders the Secretary of State and the Attorney General --
working with the Secretary of Education, Secretary of
Defense, Secretary of Energy and the Director of the
Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) -- to
institute tighter controls and ensure that student visas
are being issued appropriately. A goal of the program is
to prohibit the education and training of foreign
nationals who would use their training to harm the United
States and its Allies.
- Better Coordinates Immigration and Customs Policies
with Canada and Mexico: Millions of people and billions
of dollars of goods move legally between the United
States, Canada and Mexico each year. The United States
seeks to deny potential terrorists easy entry into the
country from Canada or Mexico, while ensuring that legal
travel and commerce continues with minimal border
restrictions. The Directive orders the Secretaries of
State and Treasury and the Attorney General to increase
the sharing of customs and immigration information with
Canada and Mexico, and work with our neighbors to develop
a shared immigration and customs control database. These
efforts will ensure the maximum possible compatibility of
immigration, customs and visa policies.
The Presidential Directive also:
- Directs the Attorney General and Secretary of the
Treasury to enhance the investigative and intelligence
analysis capabilities of the INS and the Customs Service,
and to increase INS and Customs special agent personnel
assigned to Joint Terrorism Task Forces
- Directs the Office of Science and Technology Policy to
work with the Attorney General and the Director of
Central Intelligence to make recommendations on advanced
technology that could be used to aid immigration
enforcement
- Directs the Office of Management and Budget to work
with the Attorney General, the Secretary of State, the
Secretary of the Treasury and the Assistant to the
President for Homeland Security to develop a budgetary
plan to support this effort
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