Congresswoman Calls For Crackdown On Visa Abusers
WASHINGTON (WWJ) - Michigan Republican Congresswoman Candice Miller says the government needs to take a closer look at U.S. visitors who overstay their visas, becoming illegal aliens.
Miller, who chairs the Congressional Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security, held a hearing Tuesday on that issue.
Miller said too many people are exploiting the visa process to reach U.S. soil.
"There's an important distinction to be made, I think, between those who are crossing the border, largely in search of a better life, and terrorists that abuse the visa process with the ultimate goal of actually destroying our way of life," Miller said.
Miller said while a lot of focus has been on securing the U.S. border with Mexico, more needs to be done to shore up the exit process for those with expired visas.
"Some estimates, some as high as in the 40 percentile, of all illegal aliens that are in our country just don't sneak across the border, they don't come in through the desert. They actually come in through the front door, so to speak, by obtaining a legitimate visa ... and they just simply never leave," she said.
Miller said several 9/11 hijackers entered the U.S. by taking advantage of the visa process.
