Re-registration process may undergo changes

Recent reports that the federal government may end its highly controversial immigrant registration program are good news for non-US citizens, particularly citizens of Muslim countries, who plan to travel to the US.

The original re-registration process was confusing to many immigrants who wanted to apply for visas and citizenship. Failure to register correctly led to the prompt detention or deportation of more than 13,000 men from predominantly Islamic nations, under the National Security Entry/Exit Registration System guidelines.

While there may be no known examples of Tufts students who have experienced difficulties due directly to re-registration, some students have been dealing with problems related to it.

"There has been a couple of incidents where [Arab or Muslim] students were detained for long hours at the airport, not because the registration process took long, but for no apparent reason," said president of Tufts' Arab Student Association, senior Abdul-Wahab Kayyali. "That was a big inconvenience for students coming from abroad, because on top of their multi-hour flights across the Atlantic, they sat in an airport for three to four hours."

Aside from airport detainment, Arab and Muslim students have expressed concerns with the transitions between home and Tufts.

"Returning undergraduate and graduate students have had trouble renewing their visas to return to Tufts," said secretary of Tufts' Arab Student Association, senior Yasmine Iliya. "Students also worry about traveling outside the US or returning to the Middle East once they are here."

Iliya is a Lebanese and American dual-citizen, so she has not experienced any conflicts when traveling. Kayyali is a citizen of Jordan, and while he has not had any problems either, his roommate from Saudi Arabia has had "all sorts of problems, from non-visa renewal to detention in the airport."

These differences in treatment have led Kayyali to believe that the re-registration process is "more an issue of nationality than ethnicity."

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is one of the most prominent opponents to the re-registration process, most recently having sent a letter to the Department of Homeland Security, demanding an explanation of why the re-registration process had been so complicated.

While there is no one aspect of the re-registration process that can be pin-pointed as "troublesome," there are various opinions as to why Arabs and Muslims have been having such a hard time.

"I think there is a general lack of support for Arab and Muslim immigrants when they come to the US -- besides the usual language and culture barriers. Perhaps it's due to the fact that many immigrants are constantly trying to keep a low profile and thus there is a lack of unity and no support network for them," said Iliya.

"I don't know why Arab and Muslim students did not understand the process. What I do know was that the process was spontaneous, arbitrary, and unorganized. Maybe that led to all sorts of misunderstandings," added Kayyali.

The International Center at Tufts works with foreign students and their transition to the US. Director of the International Center Jane Etish-Andrews acknowledged that students, faculty, and research scholars who have gone through the original re-registration process did not encounter many problems, but "it certainly was an inconvenience to them."

Etish-Andrews explained that several of the incoming students and faculty have had to go to the Office of Citizenship and Immigration Services in Boston within 30 days of being temporarily registered at the airport.

Although the International Center encourages foreign students and faculty to study at Tufts, Etish-Andrews is glad to hear that the registration process will no longer be limited to individuals of specific backgrounds and countries, but to all visitors to the US.

"This seems more fair than identifying one group of people, but we are concerned that the new security measures and visa requirements may discourage individuals from choosing to come and study or work in the US, because of the imposed difficulties," Etish-Andrews said.

"[These obstacles] encourage people to study or teach in another English-speaking country, such as the UK, Australia, or Canada," Etish-Andrews said. "We might see the numbers of international students, scholars, and faculty decrease in the US, and this would be a loss to our economy as well as to the positive impact of having students and faculty living on our campus and in the local communities."

Even with possible changes to the re-registration process, Kayyali feels that the reaction in the Middle East is not likely to change.

"Arabs and Muslims still view themselves as targets under this re-registration process, however nuanced it will become," he said.

The government is also planning a new border security program that would into effect in January, called the US VISIT program. Under this system, 24 million foreign visitors to the US from countries without visa waiver programs will be required to include fingerprints and photos in their citizen's passports.