Darrell Issa: “one of the reasons that we need restructuring of the INS is to keep the Mohammed Attas out of the United States. Reports…”

“one of the reasons that we need restructuring of the INS is to keep the Mohammed Attas out of the United States. Reports state that Mohammed Atta, an Egyptian citizen, piloted the first plane that crashed into the World Trade Center. Let us take a look at the INS record of Atta. On June 3, 2000, Atta was admitted to the United States solely for the purpose of being a visitor, a tourist. On July 6, just a month later, after being admitted, he started his flight training in Venice, Florida. INS regulations prohibit him from doing that flight training. That is a student status. It is not, I repeat, is not a tourist status event. On August 29, 2000, after he had begun training, the flight school, pursuant to INS regulations, applied for a student visa for Atta from the INS. On September 19, 2000, Atta changed his status from nonimmigrant visitor to nonimmigrant student. By this time, he was already flying. In December 2000, before an approval of this application to be a student pilot arrived, he departed the country for travel to Madrid. We can only imagine what he went there for. Should Atta have been admitted? Let us look at the facts. First, there was evidence before the inspector that Atta obtained a visa by fraud by concealing from the State Department when he applied for the visitor's visa abroad that he actually was coming to the U.S. for flight training.”