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Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2001

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Nov 30, 2001

Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act of 2001 - Directs the Attorney General to waive Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) personnel limits. Authorizes appropriations for INS, Border Patrol, United States Customs Service, and consular personnel, training, facilities, and security-related technology. Provides for machine-readable visa fees.Directs U.S. law enforcement and intelligence entities to share alien admissibility- and deportation-related information with INS and the Department of State.Directs the President to develop and implement an interoperable law enforcement and intelligence data system (with name-matching and linguistic capacity) for visa, admissibility, or deportation determination purposes.Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (Act) to require a consular officer issuing a visa to provide INS with an electronic version of the alien's visa file prior to the alien's U.S. entry.Sets forth technology standard and interoperability requirements respecting development and implementation of the integrated entry and exit data system and related tamper-resistant, machine-readable documents containing biometric identifiers.Directs the Secretary of State (Secretary) to: (1) establish a Terrorist Lookout Committee at each U.S. mission in which there is a consular post; and (2) provide consular staff with visa screening training.Prohibits the admission of an alien from a country designated to be a state sponsor of terrorism until a determination has been made that such individual does not pose a risk to the United States.Conditions participation in the visa waiver program upon a country's timely reporting to the United States of its stolen blank passports. Requires the Attorney General to enter stolen passport identification numbers into the interoperable data system..Directs the Secretary, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Attorney General, and the Commissioner of INS to study the feasibility of establishing a North American Perimeter National Security Program (United States, Canada, Mexico), including consideration of alien preclearance and preinspection.Amends the Act to require commercial aircraft or vessels arriving at, or departing from, the United States to provide immigration officers with specified passenger and crew manifest information. Authorizes such provisions' extension to land carriers. Requires electronic manifest transmission by a specified date.Amends the Ports and Waterways Safety Act to revise and specify vessel prearrival message requirements.Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to direct the Attorney General to develop an electronic means of verifying and monitoring the foreign student information program, including aspects of documentation and visas issuance, and registration and enrollment. Increases student data requirements. Specifies information required for foreign student visa applications. Sets forth transitional monitoring requirements, including a requirement that an educational institution report student failure to enroll information to INS.Provides for INS and Department of State review of institutions authorized to enroll foreign students and exchange visitors.Amends Federal law to treat INS immigration inspectors as law enforcement officers for Federal retirement purposes.Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to extend the deadline for presentation of biometric border crossing identification cards.Directs: (1) the Comptroller General to determine the feasibility of requiring each nonimmigrant alien to report annually to INS respecting his or her address and employer's address; and (2) the Secretary and INS to study alternative approaches to international electronic data cooperation.

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Who introduced it

Sen. Kennedy, Edward M. [D-MA] · D–MA

Committees

  • Judiciary Committee
66 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Actions

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  1. Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

  2. Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S12247-12249)

  3. Introduced in Senate

Bill text & related measures

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Related bills identified by Congress.gov

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