Following revelations that several of the September 11, 2001, terrorists were in the United States on expired visas, lawmakers and activists on both sides of the political divide have debated what to do when immigrants arrive into the country legally but then don’t leave.
On the suggestions of the 9/11 Commission, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) created a visa entry system that fingerprints anyone coming into the country through a U.S. airport and now checks those prints with a database to identify any criminal or security threats.
But on the 12th anniversary of 9/11 terror attacks – and as the House of Representatives continues to mull over a proposed comprehensive immigration reform bill – there are new concerns about the effectiveness and reach of the “entry-exit” visa system, which was created by Congress in 1996.