It used to be “give us your tired, your poor.” Now the message to people in foreign lands wanting to come to the U.S. is: Give the Department of Homeland Security your fingerprint, your photograph, a ton of information about yourself, and if you don’t match anyone in our database suspected of terrorist or criminal activity, then you can come visit. And if you come from one of the countries termed “state sponsors of terrorism,” you will be placed under an even more watchful eye at the INS.
Considering that many of the September 11th hijackers entered this country under the old rules, many Americans are saying it’s about time. We’ll talk about visas and visitors with the top federal official minding America’s borders.
Guests:
Asa Hutchinson, Under Secretary for Border and Transportation Security, Department of Homeland Security
Doris Meissner, Senior Fellow at the Migration Policy Institute
Ahmed el-Gaili, native of Sudan, Harvard Law School ’03.