David Weldon: “Our homeland security starts abroad, and nothing is more important than who gets issued a visa. The issuance of visas…”

“Our homeland security starts abroad, and nothing is more important than who gets issued a visa. The issuance of visas can no longer be thought of as a mere diplomatic function. It is now a national security issue, and must be our first line of defense. While the President recognizes the importance of visa issuance and the obvious problems, the current proposed legislation does not go far enough. The entire visa program should be part of the proposed Homeland Security Department. The State Department views the issuance of visas as a diplomatic tool. The day is past when it should be viewed this way. It is now clearly a national security function. The fragmented approach, where the Secretary of Homeland Security issues regulations regarding visas, but actual operational control remains under the State Department, is not acceptable. Just as we work hard to prevent biological, chemical, or other weapons of mass destruction from making their way to our shores, so we must keep terrorists, deadly weapons in and of themselves, keep them from coming into our homeland. A strong visa issuance program is essential to achieve that objective. We are all too aware of the fact that 15 of the 19 September 11 terrorists had obtained 'appropriate' visas. This is unacceptable.”