No one is surprised that the Immigration and Naturalization Service is behind on its new Student and Exchange Visitor Information System. Add the predicted tardy performance on SEVIS to a laundry list of problems with the federal agency over the past several years. Changes need to be made at the INS, and they can begin with SEVIS.
The computer-based system, set up by congressional mandate, will allow the INS to pool data about international students from US colleges and universities, including residence and class enrollment information. Under the USA Patriot Act, passed by Congress last October, schools are required to comply with the system by Jan. 30, 2002 or not accept any more international students. But, not surprisingly, the software is full of bugs and is unlikely to be ready by the deadline, according to the Associated Press.
The problems with the SEVIS system exemplify the problems with the agency in the first place. After its Sept. 11 failures, including its embarrassing visa approval of 9/11 hijackers Mohamed Atta and Marwan al-Shehhi last March, it is especially important that the agency first be brought up to standards before adding more to its plate.
The INS may not even be the appropriate agency to administer the SEVIS system. Though they are the authority for granting foreign students visas, they do not have the extensive experience monitoring people’s activities as some other government agencies, like the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Administration.
And with the anniversary of 9/11 fast approaching, the dialogue on increasingly monitoring people’s actions should be renewed. How much should the INS be allowed to know about international students’ academic choices? Is it appropriate to single out international students as suspected terrorists? What terrorist warning signals will the INS look for? What actions can they take and when?
There are too many questions unanswered, too many important alternatives to be considered and too much to fix at the INS to continue so rapidly and haphazardly with SEVIS.
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