ICE Opens Office for Incoming Students
Posted Aug 08, 2003

On August 1, 2003, the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) opened an around-the-clock "command center" to assist foreign students arriving in the U.S. for the upcoming academic term. The need for the center arose as a result of the mandate from Congress with an August 1, 2003 deadline for U.S. educational institutions to implement and comply with the Student Exchange Visitor and Information System (SEVIS). As of July 29, 2003, more than 5,900 educational institutions in the U.S. were SEVIS compliant. However, not all schools have been able to meet the deadline. There are over 600 educational institutions still to implement this data-sharing system. The command center has been opened to deal with the problems that may be faced by the students from these 600 institutions when they attempt to enter the U.S.

ICE has also sent guidance to the Bureau of Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) regarding how to deal with these students at the Ports-of-Entry (POEs). As of the date of this writing, the guidance has not been made available to the public. POE inspectors may contact the ICE command center with any questions. In addition, ICE is sending representatives to international airports in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Miami, Detroit, Atlanta, and Washington D.C. to assist the POE inspectors in handling these cases. ICE will also work with the remaining 600 institutions to implement the technology required to become SEVIS compliant.

In a July 29, 2003 press release, ICE referred to this command center and assistance in getting into the country for the upcoming semester as "a one-time accommodation." ICE indicated that POE inspectors will use their discretion in determining whether they should allow impacted students to enter the United States. Individuals will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

We applaud ICE for its flexibility in the SEVIS rules as some educational institutions continue to struggle with implementation of the requirements. Many students would be delayed in their studies if ICE had not been willing to allow the use of some discretion with respect to students from noncompliant schools. The command center is an excellent example of how security concerns can be addressed, without penalizing innocent students for the failure of certain educational institutions to meet the SEVIS deadline. It is important to recognize the valuable contributions of foreign students to the life and culture of American Institutions, as well as the value of a U.S. education to these students and to the communities, both here and abroad, that they ultimately serve.