Terrorism threats may result in increased immigration control

WASHINGTON -- It took Hooshmand Yazdani half an hour to get his F-1 student visa at the American Embassy in Iran. \nThat was 1969. \nToday, 32 years later, Yazdani is an American citizen and the owner of Nomad's Kitchen in Washington. He sits at a table in his restaurant with a worried look on his face. He is concerned about the future of Iranian students wanting to study in the United States.\n"There is a lot of talk about new immigration legislation," Yazdani said. "(The Immigration and Naturalization Service) is going to make it a whole lot more difficult. They will have more control and more screenings."\nAfter the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, some are concerned about immigration control becoming more stringent, especially for those people from the Middle East. \nDon Chadwick, an immigration attorney in Chicago, said the INS will push for careful screenings of green card applicants from target countries like Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Palestine and Pakistan.\n"If their home country is completely against the United States, the applicant has a high chance of denial," Chadwick said. "But this action has to come with acts of Congress. If Afghanistan declares a Holy War against the United States, Congress can decide to deny residency to people from that country."\nDenyse Sabagh, a Washington attorney specializing in immigration law at Duane Morris law firm, said some residents of Middle Eastern decent could be facing deportation. \n"If the INS thinks they share information or have a connection with terrorist activity, and they have a pending application or a green card, then they are not protected."\nMany immigration advocates are also worried about the future of international students studying in the United States. According to data collected by the National Association of Foreign Student Advisers, during the 1999-2000 academic year, 514,723 international students studied in the United States making the country the leading destination of international students. \nRuth Miller, associate director of international services at IU, said depending on what happens with the continued threats of terrorism, international study in the United States may be greatly affected. \n"The United States will be more careful about which students they will let into the country to study," Miller said.\nThere has also been some anti-Arab sentiment across the country resulting in harassment in the recent weeks. The harassment has been directed at students from the Middle East or at people who look like they are Muslim. \n"Students (from the Middle East) feel very sorry for what happened on Sept. 11," Miller said. "It's not their fault, but they feel very bad because people think their home countries did that."\nAfter the attacks, there have been reported cases of hate crimes toward people who look like from they are from the Middle East or who look Muslim. Fanta Aw, director of international student services at American University, said the anti-Arab sentiment is very dangerous.\n "People are trying to find immediate solutions, but identifying and profiling Middle Easterners is not a solution," Aw said. "As soon as you identify people on what they look like in a country of immigrants, it is problematic."\n Americans may also be afraid of international students because they believe they will stay in the United States after their studies, Aw said. There is a tendency for students coming from poor countries to remain here, but 99 percent of Middle Eastern students go back home after graduation. Most of these students don't even take advantage of the one-year optional practical training the INS offers them as a precursor to part time working permits.\nIn 1996 the INS proposed a national foreign student tracking system known as CIPRIS. But due to a lack of funding and manpower, the tracking system was uneffective. \nAfter recent events, the INS is planning to implement a new tracking system, Aw said. Universities will have to report to the INS when students enroll at their institution and when they graduate. This way the INS will know where the students are. \nAw said this tracking system doesn't solve the immigration problem. People who come to the U.S on visitor visas still remain untracked. Many of these people stay here illegally after their visas expire.\nBefore the attacks, President George W. Bush was proposing new immigration laws and working permits for some illegal immigrants. These plans are now on hold.\n"There is a need for these workers, and politics are getting in the way," Aw said. "Amnesty is not for charity, there is a need. There is no industry that hasn't benefited from foreigners advancing their industry."\nRep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., has been working on passing amnesty laws which would make millions of illegal immigrants permanent residents. \nBilly Weinberg, press secretary for Gutierrez, said they believe offering amnesty would benefit everyone and that they will continue with the immigration effort. \n"Immigrants feel as if they are Americans, and like most people, they feel the effects of the attack on their adopted country," Weinberg said. "Immigrants made constructive contributions before and after Sept. 11. We believe immigration is important in the healing process of this country."\nHooshmand Yazdani died of a heart attack one week after granting the IDS this interview.