Immigration is a vital part of American society. The majority of Americans residing in the United States today are descendants of immigrants. But how does one become a legal immigrant?

Obtaining a visa from the United States Immigration and Naturalization Service may seem like a multifaceted task, but quite amazingly there

The failures in our immigration system result mostly from lack of resources, ill-conceived policies and a lack of political leadership. Our inability to deport those turned down for a green card, the visa lottery and Section 245 are all examples of policies that create problems for national security.

Not everyone is suspicious of immigrants. George W. Bush and President Vicente Fox of Mexico have begun to discuss a deal to change the immigration policy regarding Mexican immigrants. At a meeting on September 16, 2002, a more liberal immigration policy was discussed. This policy, which would create legal channels for migrant workers and register millions of Mexicans currently residing in the US, was discussed as one of the ways that the United States could weed out the few foreigners that have come to this country to do harm.

According to the INS website, you can also apply for entrance to the U.S. without a visa through the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). This program allows foreign nationals from certain countries to be admitted to the United States under limited conditions, for a limited time. Ninety days or less is the allotted time that a nonimmigrant visitor can stay within the country.

Before September 11th the problem with national security was the reluctance of government agencies to share important information with the INS and the State Department, the two primary agencies dealing with immigrants. The USA Patriot Act passed in the wake of the terrorist activity in New York City in 2001, requires the FBI, the Justice Department and the INS to share more of their data, which would make it difficult for “red flagged” individuals to cross into the United States. For this strategy to work, the U.S. needs to develop a more secure and thorough system. These federal law enforcement agencies must collect the names of people who should not be admitted into the United States. This includes individuals suspected to be connected to terrorism, people who were denied visas in the past, and those who have criminal records. This intelligence must be shared, consolidated and updated on a consistent basis to make this system effective.

Before September 11th the problem with national security was the reluctance of government agencies to share important information with the INS and the State Department, the two primary agencies dealing with immigrants. The USA Patriot Act passed in the wake of the terrorist activity in New York City in 2001, requires the FBI, the Justice Department and the INS to share more of their data, which would make it difficult for “red flagged” individuals to cross into the United States. For this strategy to work, the U.S. needs to develop a more secure and thorough system. These federal law enforcement agencies must collect the names of people who should not be admitted into the United States. This includes individuals suspected to be connected to terrorism, people who were denied visas in the past, and those who have criminal records. This intelligence must be shared, consolidated and updated on a consistent basis to make this system effective.

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