At the time the terrorist attacks on the United States took place at the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington D.C., immigration was under the purview of the U.S. Department of Justice, the Immigration and Nationality Service, better known as INS. Because all of the terrorists were foreign nationals, from Islamic countries, who were in the United States lawfully, the main objective of the INS became identifying and weeding out potential terrorist who were perceived as being a threat to the country. The INS was transformed and reorganized under the newly created Department of Homeland Security, in 2003.
The Department of Homeland Security separated its immigration branches into three main subdivisions, the United States Immigration Customs and Enforcement Agency, also known as ICE, US Customs and Border Protection and the United States Citizenship Immigration Services, or USCIS. The Department of Homeland Security, (DHS) was created by former president George W. Bush in November of 2011, following the attacks in September of that same year. Another offspring of President Bush’s Homeland Security was the branch known as the Transportation Security Administration or TSA, the individuals responsible for screening passengers at all airport terminals.
Much controversy has arisen following the creation of the DHS and its subsequent branches. The way an individual immigrates to the country has changed in the sense that it has become more difficult to achieve lawful status following certain roadblocks that have been put into place. The procedure for screening an applicant also known as the “biometrics” process has expanded the DHS’s authority to delve into the background of all applicants.
Following the attacks of September 11, 2001 a program called the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System or NSEERS, was put into place. It became mandatory that all males from 25 Muslim nations, register by having their fingerprints taken and biometrics data updated with the United States.
Programs such as these have increased the amount of profiling and discrimination that takes place on a daily basis at airports, at interviews at USCIS offices and immigration courtrooms around the country as well as U.S embassies worldwide.
Of course, many of the measures that have been put into place are necessary in order to secure the well-being of a country which is despised in most of the Muslim world. However, following September 11th, we have seen the growth of anti-Islamic sentiment spread across the country, fueling hatred on both sides.
Certainly the perception surrounding immigration has changed following the ill-fated date of September 11th. The United States has seen a shift from a nation which was founded by immigrants to a nation harboring increased anti-immigration sentimentality. These views are currently reflected in the campaigns of the presidential hopefuls for the 2016 election. Immigration will continue to be a hot topic that has been forced into the forefront since the attacks of September 11, 2001. The controversy surrounding the implementation of immigration laws continue to be highly contested by both immigrant advocates and anti-immigration proponents.
