While much of the discussion of illegal immigration has been over border security, visa overstay is just as much part of the problem. Overstayers fall in three different categories: those who were issued visas, those who came from countries that have been granted participation in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), and those who entered from Mexico or Canada with Border Crossing Cards (BCCs).
The Trump administration is considering reductions in the J-1 visa category, specifically the summer work and travel program. The program has been criticized by both Democrats and Republicans for increasing competition for American workers, especially teenagers, and this category’s high visa overstay rate.
The largest percentage of visa overstays in FY2016 were foreign nationals on student or exchange visas, according to analysis of a recent DHS report by the Pew Research Center. Around 629,000 foreign visitors overstayed their visas in fiscal year 2016.
Visa overstaying remains a serious problem in the United States. 739,450 people overstayed their visas in 2016, and almost 630,000 remained in the U.S. by year’s end, according to a new DHS report. The actual number may be higher because the report does not cover foreign visitors who entered through a vehicular or land port of entry.
A new report from the Inspector General shows that DHS is catching less than 1% of people who stay in the U.S. after their visas have expired. In 2015 ICE arrested only 3,402 visa overstayers out of the estimated 527,127, or 1 out of every 150 cases.
Q13 Fox -- Nadia Romero
There is support for the policy shift from at least one group: NumbersUSA.
“The world has been told, if you illegally cross the border or if you come here on a tourist visa and you overstay your visa (and you think) you can stay as long as you don’t commit a crime, it’s not true anymore,” said NumbersUSA Executive Director Roy Beck.
Appearing in a confirmation hearing yesterday, Homeland Security Secretary nominee Gen. John Kelly called for a multifaceted approach to securing the border and criticized the Obama Administration for giving “a pass” to most illegal aliens. He said that the law would "guide” his decisions if confirmed, and that he would “rapidly” process illegal aliens for return to the countries.
Kellyanne Conway, the newly-named counselor to President-elect Donald Trump, said the incoming Administration will not develop policies triggering heightened security based on an individual’s religious affiliation. She said Mr. Trump’s policies will instead focus on heightened vetting for individuals from terrorism-producing countries.
House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Tex., unveiled a plan to overhaul homeland security that includes: “extreme vetting” of foreign travelers; revamping the visa application process; immediate suspension of all immigration, including refugees, from high-risk areas; building a wall and increasing border assets; ending catch-and-release policies; reforming asylum standards; deporting criminal aliens; ending sanctuary cities; implementing a full entry-exit system; re-examining guest-worker programs; and mandating E-Verify.
According to the annual report released by the Migration Policy Institute the number of nonimmigrant visas issued by the U.S. Dep. of State (DOS) increased by 10% in 2015 compared to 2014. The DOS issued 10.9 million nonimmigrant visas in 2015 up from 9.9 million visas issued in 2014.
The Department of Homeland Security released a report yesterday showing that nearly 500,000 foreigners entered the U.S. and overstayed their visas in 2015. This is the first report of its kind, even though Congress ordered this report conducted nearly twenty years ago.
The New York Times' headline says "House Votes to Revoke Legal Protections for Millions of Immigrants." There is no down-the-middle interpretation to be found here. The headline tells the reader what they are supposed to feel before they read the story.
While visiting Beijing, China on Monday, President Obama announced a new plan to extend the length of visas for Chinese nationals. Under the new agreement, Chinese student visas would be expanded to five years while business and tourist visas would be expanded to ten years.
National Review Online -- Ryan Lovelace
Because the rapid ascension of the Islamic State caught the federal government off-guard, American intelligence agencies don’t know enough about the group, James Chaparro says. The lack of intelligence has many ramifications, but chief among them, it has made it difficult for officials to effectively update the terrorist watch list to prevent terrorists from exploiting the visa-waiver program or applying for non-immigrant visas.
ABC News reports that the Department of Homeland Security lost track of, and is now pursuing, over 6,000 foreign students who are deemed to be of “heightened concern.” DHS told ABC that about 58,000 foreign students had overstayed their visa but the vast majority are not being sought.
In an interview with Mother Jones magazine, U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) shows that he just can't let go of his pro-amnesty views despite their liability to him in his run for the Senate seat in 2012.
A new super-majority in both chambers of the Florida state legislature sets up the possibility of passage of an immigration enforcement law similar to the one passed in Arizona earlier this year. The Republican-controlled chambers now have enough votes to override a veto, and it's likely that a bill will be introduced when the state legislative session begins next year.
Texas Representative Ted Poe called out the New York Times in a letter to the editor published on Thursday. Last week, the paper published an editorial entitled "A Sense of Who We Are" painting a harsh criticism of the Bush Administration's deportation policies.