Dive Summary:
- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has ordered more scrutiny of international students entering the country in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings.
- The new policy directive is the result of information coming to light regarding Azamat Tazhayakov, a Kazakh student who allegedly hid evidence for one of the bombing suspects and was allowed to enter the U.S. despite his international student status being terminated by the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth weeks earlier.
- Some educators wonder if subjecting every incoming international student to increased scrutiny is an overreaction--especially since neither of the bombers was in the U.S. on a student visa--but politicians and pundits have called for a closer look at the system, with some also suggesting that visas be denied all together to students from "high risk" countries and regions.
From the article:
... "You don't have a right to a student visa," said Sen. Marco Rubio, the Florida Republican who has taken a high-profile role in the immigration debate. "Therefore we can place whatever restrictions we want on student visas." ...