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Guest Commentary May 1, 2002
Securing Our Borders While Maintaining Our Way of Life
The Honorable Olympia Snowe
As Americans, our freedom means everything to us. While this ideal is at the core of our national identity, we were forced to acknowledge that after September 11th, strengthening our borders is a key to maintaining our way of life. The perpetrators of evil behind the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center served as grave reminders that entry into this country is a privilege -– not a right.
Realizing that we must take every step conceivable to secure our nation and preserve our freedom, the Senate recently passed the bi-partisan Border Security Act by a vote of 97-0. This bill includes a number of provisions I sponsored designed to stop dangerous aliens from entering our country, and it will work toward achieving this objective by providing federal agencies the tools necessary to confront, and ideally prevent, future acts of terrorism.
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In advocating some of these provisions, I drew upon my 12 years of experience as the Chair of the International Operations Subcommittee in the House, and also as the Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on International Operations from 1995 to 1996. In the House, I led the investigation into the 1993 bombing of the World Trade, chronicling the comings-and goings of the radical Egyptian cleric, Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, mastermind of the bombing.
Our investigation documented an incredible, Abbot and Costello series of blunders in which Sheikh Rahman entered and exited the U.S. five times without being stopped, even after the State Department formally revoked his visa and the INS rescinded his permanent resident status. During this investigation, I saw firsthand the consequences of these serious inadequacies in coordination and communication. That is why, as far back as the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, I have fought to close these loopholes.
The Border Security Act learns from these experiences, including my provision requiring that every law enforcement agency -– including INS, CIA, DEA, FBI, the Customs Service, and the Department of Defense -– share information with State Department and border officials.
The bill also includes my provision requiring each U.S. embassy and consulate to establish a "Terrorist Lookout Committee" that will contribute to a newly created centralized lookout database with names of any foreign nationals who should be excluded from entry to the U.S. The committees, consisting of law enforcement and intelligence personnel, would be required to meet on a monthly basis, and report to the Secretary of State monthly, with a report by the Secretary of State to Congress four times a year. Our goal should be to prevent potential terrorists from entering the country in the first place -– and the best way to do that is incorporating all the information at our disposal.
We also gave immigration and visa officials tools to better perform their jobs. Because it doesn't do any good to conduct background checks at our embassies and consulates overseas if foreign nations are allowed entry to the U.S. while carrying a visa issued to someone else. The bill therefore utilizes biometrics technology, such as advanced fingerprinting, to ensure positive identification of visa applicants.
Finally, the bill increases funding to hire and train border patrol personnel and other agency staffs who man U.S. ports of entry and consular officers abroad. This will improve the ability of these officers to more easily identify and intercept would-be terrorists.
Acknowledging that we are a open nation proud of our immigrant past, the Border Security Act follows the best course of action available to us. It confronts those with the worst of intentions, while allowing law-abiding and qualified immigrants and visitors to enter the U.S. and explore our nation's many opportunities.
Olympia Snowe, a Republican, is a U.S. Senator from Maine. The above commentary has been adapted from a weekly column Sen. Snowe issued, April 26, 2002. To contact her, Click Here.
The above column has been distributed by PoliticsOL.com.
