State Department's Management of "J Visa" Program Enables Terrorist Infiltration

By Michael Cutler

Today we will focus on a GAO report that delves into the "J Visa" Program. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the alphabet soup of visas, the J visa is one that is issued by the United States Department of State for exchange visitors. The concept of the J visa, at least in theory is actually a good one. In the interest of furthering international understanding we permit young people to come to the United States to engage in exchange programs so that the exchange of visitors by participating countries helps to break down barriers between the participating countries. Certainly this should, in theory, help improve international relations, a goal that is to be considered highly valuable, especially in the troubled world in which we live. However, (there is that word again!), according to the GAO report, the State Department is failing to monitor this program. There are about 280,000 aliens who enter the United States each year under the auspices of this visa category and this report notes that in the last four years, State Department officials visited only 8 travel or trainee sponsors out of some 200+ summer work locations to make certain that things were as claimed by these sponsors. In fact, one of the sponsors turned out to be a topless bar! For your convenience, you can download a copy of this report below. The State Department agrees that there have been weaknesses in the way that it has carried out its oversight responsibilities for the last ten years.

The disturbing issues here go in two directions. First of all, the point to this program is to have the foreign students or other cultural exchange visitors return to their home counties with a positive attitude about our country. Secondly, this is yet another visa category that provides aliens with the opportunity to gain entry into the United States. Terrorists who would want to attack us need to somehow gain entry into the United States.
Download Jvisastudy.pdf

It does not matter if they run the border, stowaway on a ship, make use of the Visa Waiver Program or obtain a visa to which they would not be entitled if all material facts were known. For them, all that matters is that they ultimately succeed in gaining entry into the United States.

The monitoring of exchange visitor locations in the United States is yet another area that should be encompassed within a meaningful interior enforcement effort where the immigration laws are concerned. Additionally, there are virtually no special agents who routinely are assigned to seek to make certain that these temporary visitors actually leave when their authorized visit is over. In fact, I suspect that little, if anything, is done to make certain that these exchange visitors even show up at the location to which they are supposed to be destined upon arrival in the United States. Once again we have found a link that appears to be constructed of weak thread.

Yet, the administration proudly proclaims that they will remove all illegal aliens and that the guest worker program will help to restore integrity to the immigration system. Somehow I am underwhelmed!

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