9/11 Commission: Legislative Action Concerning U.S. Immigration Law and Policy in the 108th Congress Page: 4 of 15
p. 12View a full description of this report.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
9/11 Commission: Legislative
Action Concerning U.S. Immigration
Law and Policy in the 108th Congress
Introduction
The July 2004 report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the
United States (also known as the 9/11 Commission) concluded that the key officials
responsible for determining alien admissions (consular officers abroad and
immigration inspectors in the United States) were not considered full partners in
counterterrorism efforts prior to September 11, 2001, and as a result, opportunities
to intercept the September 11 terrorists were missed.' The 9/11 Commission
contended that "(t)here were opportunities for intelligence and law enforcement to
exploit al Qaeda's travel vulnerabilities." The report went on to state: "Considered
collectively, the 9/11 hijackers
" included known al Qaeda operatives who could have been
watchlisted;
" presented fraudulent passports;
" presented passports with suspicious indicators of extremism;
" made detectable false statements on visa applications;
" made false statements to border officials to gain entry into the
United States; and
" violated immigration laws while in the United States."2
The 9/11 Commission issued several recommendations that directly pertain to
immigration law and policy. These recommendations are:
" Targeting travel is at least as powerful a weapon against terrorists as
targeting their money. The United States should combine
intelligence, operations, and law enforcement in a strategy to
intercept terrorists, find terrorist travel facilitators, and constrain
terrorist mobility.
" The U.S. border security system should be integrated into a larger
network of screening points that includes our transportation system
and access to vital facilities, such as nuclear reactors.
U.S. National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, The 9/11
Commission Report, Executive Summary, p. 14, July 2004 (hereafter The 9/11 Commission
Report).
2 The 9/11 Commission Report, Executive Summary, pp. 13-14, July 2004.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This report can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Report.
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/m1/4/: accessed May 22, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Government Documents Department.