The federal government’s Web-based system that monitors international students is still not fully implemented, even though many schools, such as the University, have been using the system for months.
American universities were supposed to start using the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System by Jan. 30. But many colleges had access problems, which prompted the Immigration and Naturalization Service to extend the deadline.
Ginny Stark, director of International Student and Scholar Services, said the University was certified to use SEVIS last fall, but several factors have slowed the transition from paper records to Web-based records. Stark said the main problem with using SEVIS is that universities all over the country have been scrambling to input records into the system, and the overload of users can create difficulties. She added that the Office of International Programs has had to schedule their workload in the afternoons when the volume of activity on SEVIS is lower.
Ed Sale, spokesman for the Portland District Office of INS, said SEVIS is going to greatly streamline the process of monitoring international students and scholars. He argued the Web-based system will dramatically reduce fraud, cut down on the amount of university paperwork and increase security in the United States.
SEVIS was originally created so that universities could share information about international students and scholars with INS and the State Department. Universities have been charged with sharing personal, academic and employment-related data on international students so that INS can better track their whereabouts and activities.
Besides implementing SEVIS, INS has taken several other steps to increase nation security, including a stricter, swifter enforcement of even the smallest rule violations. One example is the regulation requiring international students to notify INS when they change addresses. The regulation has been in effect for many years but was never strictly enforced.
But now if students fail to comply with this regulation, they could either be arrested, fined $200, jailed for 30 days or deported. In addition, before they can reduce their course load below full-time status or withdraw from the University, international students must first receive OIP approval and the academic change must be entered into SEVIS. Stark said as far as she knows, no University international students have violated any INS regulations, but there could be problems occurring at other universities in Oregon.
Sale said it is difficult to determine how many international students are facing consequences for violating INS regulations. He said INS officers examine problems on a case-by-case basis and don’t keep track of student violation figures. He did say, however, that the majority of people removed from the country by INS are criminal aliens.
International students from certain countries are also being required to register with INS as a part of the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System. NSEERS is part of a mandate contained in the USA PATRIOT Act, and requires males from certain countries who are 16 or older to be photographed, fingerprinted and interviewed under oath with INS. The latest round of special registration is directed at nonimmigrants from Bangladesh, Indonesia, Egypt, Jordan and Kuwait.
Hope Marston, coordinator for the Lane County Bill of Rights Defense Committee, said she is skeptical of the USA PATRIOT Act and other federal government security measures. She argued they amount to racial profiling and overlook the fact that people with white skin could also be involved with terrorism. Marston said she is worried that the government is creating an oppressive society and hostile relations with other countries.
“My concern is that we treat all students equally — not based on color, where in the world they come from or what their religion is,” she said.