A new electronic system to track foreign students at American schools and universities, presented as a cornerstone of the response to lapses in the student visa system after Sept. 11, 2001, is riddled with computer malfunctions and other problems, university officials and the inspector general of the Justice Department say. . . .

The chief lobbyist for the American Council on Education, Terry W. Hartle, called the tracking system an unmitigated disaster. . . .

Congress began focusing on lapses in student visas after the first World Trade Center bombing, in 1993. Sept. 11 exposed more disarray, with the I.N.S. issuing student visas for two of the hijackers to attend flight school six months after they had destroyed the World Trade Center.

:: comment :: . . . am near and dear to a foreign student and whatever the USA deems necessary, in most cases, Canada follows . . . our borders close as do our hearts & minds . . . tension, suspicion, control breed conflict, contempt, fear . . . all around institutions snarl at humanistic tolerance . . . shame on us . . .

1:10:47 AM     comment []   . .    Open firefly