Report criticizes federal immigrant tracking efforts

A new study finds that the Bush administration has failed to fully implement a 2002 federal visa-tracking law and has missed a series of deadlines to improve immigration controls in the country.

More than a year and half after Congress passed the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act, the administration has failed to meet nine out of its 22 required deadlines, according to a report released Thursday by the Center for Immigration Studies and the NumbersUSA Education and Research Foundation.

"There is probably no more important tool in preventing another terrorist attack on U.S. soil than the nation's immigration system," said Steven Camarota, co-author of the report and director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies.

The report's other co-author, Rosemary Jenks, said the Bush administration bears more responsibility for missing deadlines than federal agencies, such as the Homeland Security and Justice departments.

"My personal view is the biggest problem is coming from the White House and not the particular agencies," she said. She said the administration has failed to show the political will or provide the necessary resources to fully implement the requirements of the law.

However, she added that Homeland Security officials "had no response" when presented with the report a few weeks ago. "They didn't seem to really care," she said.

Homeland Security spokesman Bill Strassberger said the department welcomes input from outside organizations, adding that the report appears to be fair and accurate. He said most of the missed deadlines concern reports the department was supposed to make to Congress. However, he said the department has met project deadlines, such as implementing the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, which tracks foreign students coming into and out of the country. He added that the first phase of the U.S. Visit and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology program will be implemented at airports and sea ports starting Jan. 5.

"The key programs that we had to develop and implement have been implemented," he said.

According to Strassberger, the department is working to meet the outstanding deadlines.

The most significant provisions of the act not yet implemented relate to areas such as document fraud, information sharing and immigrant deportations, the report states.

According to the report, the administration has failed to report any progress on the development of an integrated biometric-based database, called Chimera, which would give the State and Homeland Security departments access to law enforcement and immigration information on every foreigner coming into the country.

The report did not offer reasons why the administration has failed to meet deadlines in the law. However, several federal efforts at implementing new immigration laws have met with resistance from civil rights groups on the grounds they violate the rights of foreigners, especially those from Arab countries. For example, civil rights and immigrant advocacy organizations filed a lawsuit Wednesday in federal court to challenge a post-Sept. 11 initiative by the Justice Department to enlist state and local police in the routine enforcement of federal immigration laws.

The report does acknowledge progress in implementing parts of the act. Specifically, it notes the administration has created an interim data-sharing system that permits relevant government agencies to access data on aliens; developed a biometric technology standard to verify the identity of non-citizens; established terrorist watch committees at U.S. missions abroad; and implemented the foreign student tracking system. The administration also requires commercial airlines and vessels to submit electronic passenger manifests in advance of arriving at U.S. ports, and is submitting annual reports to Congress on aliens who fail to show up for expulsion following a final order of deportation.