9/11 Commission: Legislative Action Concerning U.S. Immigration Law and Policy in the 108th Congress Page: 2 of 15
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9/11 Commission: Legislative Action Concerning
U.S. Immigration Law and Policy in the 108th Congress
Summary
Reforming the enforcement of immigration law is a core component of the
recommendations made by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the
United States (also known as the 9/11 Commission). The 19 hijackers responsible
for the 9/11 attacks were foreign nationals, many of whom were able to obtain visas
to enter the United States through the use of forged documents. Incomplete
intelligence and screening enabled many of the hijackers to enter the United States
despite flaws in their entry documents or suspicions regarding their past associations.
According to the Commission, up to 15 of the hijackers could have been intercepted
or deported through more diligent enforcement of immigration laws.
The 9/11 Commission's immigration-related recommendations focused
primarily on targeting terrorist travel through an intelligence and security strategy
based on reliable identification systems and effective, integrated information-sharing.
As Congress has considered these recommendations, however, possible legislative
responses have broadened to include significant and possibly far-reaching changes
in the substantive law governing immigration and how that law is enforced, both at
the border and in the interior of the United States.
In response to the Commission's recommendations, several major bills were
introduced proposing significant revisions to U.S. immigration law and policy. The
two notable bills that would revise immigration laws were H.R. 10, the 9/11
Recommendations Implementation Act, as amended, introduced by the Speaker of
the House of Representatives Dennis Hastert, and passed by the House as S. 2845 on
October 8, 2004, and S. 2845, the National Intelligence Reform Act of 2004, as
amended, introduced by Senators Susan Collins and Joseph Lieberman and passed
by the Senate on October 8, 2004. The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism
Prevention Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-458), a compromise version of these bills that
included some - but not all - of the immigration provisions under consideration, was
signed on December 17, 2004.
This report briefly discusses some of the major immigration areas that were
under consideration in the above-mentioned comprehensive reform proposals,
including asylum, biometric tracking systems, border security, document security,
exclusion, immigration enforcement, and visa issuances. It refers to other CRS
reports that discuss these issues in depth and will be updated as needed.
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Garcia, Michael John & Wasem, Ruth Ellen. 9/11 Commission: Legislative Action Concerning U.S. Immigration Law and Policy in the 108th Congress, report, December 21, 2004; Washington D.C.. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc806900/m1/2/: accessed May 22, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.