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CNN Live At Daybreak

At Least One of Hijacking Suspects Was on a Student Visa

Aired October 30, 2001 - 07:44   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: At least one and perhaps as many as three of the hijacking suspects on September 11th were in the U.S. on a student visa, but they never showed up to take any classes. The government is reevaluating immigration policy and at the debut meeting of the new Homeland Security Council President Bush called for tighter rules.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We welcome legal immigrants. We welcome people coming to America. We welcome the process that encourages people to come to our country to visit, to study or to work. What we don't welcome are people who come to hurt the American people and so therefore we're going to be very diligent with our visas and observant with the behavior of people who come to this country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'BRIEN: About 600,000 international students are admitted each year on student visas and more than 26,000 U.S. colleges and universities are authorized to enroll them. Joining us from Washington is Fanta Ar (ph). She is Director of International Student Services at American University. Good to have you with us Ms. Aw.

FANTA AW, DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENT SERVICES AT AMERICAN UNIVERSITY: Thank you.

O'BRIEN: What do you think this will mean for the students you are counseling there?

AW: Well I think it has definitely created some anxiety for students and understandably so. As President Bush came up with his directive, universities are all ready and we've been in compliance and so we are ready to report what is needed here.

However, I think the larger issue is how will this resolve the security issues given that students represent only two percent of visa issuers that come to the United States. It's still - we still have another 98 percent that this does not necessarily address.

O'BRIEN: All right, we'll talk about the numbers in just a moment, but I'm curious, why anxiety if what the president is proposing is simply to put a little more teeth into Maas (ph) which are on the books already?

AW: I guess in that extension (ph) the fact that students are confused. From their standpoint and from ours, the visa - the student visa program is regulated and there's some very clear rules and regulations that are put forward by the INS offices and universities do comply with those rules and regulations. We do maintain student records and we are ready to report those. So I think students are a bit confused because over the years that has been the strategy and so they're not really clear what this means.

O'BRIEN: Now you mentioned that only two percent of the problems with people who are ignoring these rules related to student visas. Of course it doesn't take many people to cause serious havoc in this country as it relates to terrorism. So I guess I'm wondering do you really quibble with the government when it says it wants to enforce some legislation, which already exists?

AW: Well I think it's more than understandable and the government is correct in saying that we need to tighten controls in this situation. What I think is important to keep in mind is that there are very clear guidelines and regulations and those are currently being enforced by institutions. So what this will in essence do is just allow for more timely reporting of this information.

O'BRIEN: All right, but of course we're talking about your institution, perhaps, American University, a very reputable place. There are many universities who are smaller schools out there, which may not have the tight controls which you suggest. For example, the alleged pilot of American Airlines Flight 77 was to enroll in a smaller university for language class and apparently did not show up.

So you know if a few universities are not enforcing the rules the same way that American University does, doesn't the government need to do more then?

AW: Absolutely and I am in agreement with you that not all institutions are perhaps in compliance and what in fact these directives will do will - is to ensure that all universities and all institutions that will be issuing some visas will be in compliance. But you're absolutely correct and not all of these institutions do that - do this.

Specifically looking at proprietary schools and for profit small schools, they may not have the resources or the expertise to comply in a way that would be effective.

O'BRIEN: The president said he was surprised at how others had sort of taken advantage of the U.S. generosity. When you heard that, what were your thoughts?

AW: I was somewhat surprised by those remarks in the - in the sense that it is true that the U.S. higher education system is to learn parallel (ph) in terms of its quality, and you know, our students who come to the United States come to study and upon completion of their studies, go back to their home country and continue to contribute in many ways to U.S. diplomacy by becoming (INAUDIBLE) ambassadors of the U.S. in their home country.

O'BRIEN: Let me ask you one final question Ms. Aw and not necessarily relating to immigration policy. What are you hearing from your students right now in the wake of September 11th? What's the mood on campus? Have some of them left, for example? Do they feel somewhat undeceived in some way?

AW: The mood for the most part is that right now students have tried to stay as calm as possible and to focus on their studies. That's why they're here. We do, however, have some students and a very small number, less than three percent, of our international student body have decided to go - to go back to their home countries because parents were very concerned after the September 11th event, and were not sure what the next steps and issues were going to be. So they have instructed that their students return to their home country with the understanding that they would be back in the spring semester.

O'BRIEN: Fanta Aw is the Director of International Student Services at American University in Washington. Thanks very much for your time this morning (INAUDIBLE).

AW: Thank you.

Paula.

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