29 October 2001
Transcript: U.S. to "Tighten Up" its Visa Policy, Bush Says
(Speaks with reporters after meeting with the Homeland Security
Council) (1990)
The federal government is "going to tighten up" its visa policy to
ensure that people who get visas to come into the United States
fulfill the purpose of their visit, President Bush told reporters
October 29.
Along those lines, he said, a foreign terrorist tracking task force
has been formed to make sure that the nation "is as safe as possible
from people who might come to our country to hurt people."
"That's not to say we're not going to let people come into our
country; of course we are," Bush said. "But we're going to make sure
that when somebody comes, we understand their intended purpose and
that they fulfill the purpose."
Bush spoke with reporters after meeting at the White House with his
new Homeland Security Council.
"We welcome legal immigrants and we welcome people coming to America.
We welcome the process that encourages people to come to our country
to visit, to study, and to work," Bush said.
"What we don't welcome are people who come to hurt the American
people. And, so, therefore, we're going to be very diligent with our
visas and observant with the behavior of people who come to this
country."
Following is the White House transcript:
(begin transcript)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
October 29, 2001
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT IN PHOTO OPPORTUNITY WITH HOMELAND SECURITY
COUNCIL
The Cabinet Room
3:10 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Today I had the first official meeting of the Homeland
Security Council -- Governor -- that has been chaired by -- when I'm
not here, by Governor Ridge. And as you can see, I've assembled many
of the members of my administration here, senior members of the
administration, because our task is to do everything we can to protect
the American people from any threat whatsoever.
The American people are beginning to understand that we fight a
two-front war against terror. We fight in Afghanistan, and I
appreciate so very much the efforts of our men and women who wear the
uniform. And we fight it at home here, to make sure America is as safe
is possible.
Along these lines, we've set up a foreign terrorist tracking task
force to make sure that the Land of the Free is as safe as possible
from people who might come to our country to hurt people. We welcome
legal immigrants and we welcome people coming to America. We welcome
the process that encourages people to come to our country to visit, to
study, and to work.
What we don't welcome are people who come to hurt the American people.
And, so, therefore, we're going to be very diligent with our visas and
observant with the behavior of people who come to this country.
As an example, if a person applies for a student visa and gets that
visa, we want to make sure that person actually goes to school; in
other words, if they're using the visas for the intended purpose.
The American people need to know that we're doing everything we
possibly can to prevent and disrupt any attack on America, and that
we're doing everything we can to respond to attacks. And I'm proud of
the public health workers, people that report to Tommy Thompson's
agency, about their hard work. They're working hours on hours. And I
believe that lives have been saved as a result of their diligent
efforts.
Be glad to answer a couple of questions. Fournier, then Dave, then
Stretch.
QUESTION: Mr. President, thank you. Yesterday, there was quite a bit
of talk on Capitol Hill about the need for ground troops to step up
the military action another notch; Senator McCain, Senator Dodd, among
others. Do you think the American public is ready for a significant
number of ground troops in Afghanistan?
THE PRESIDENT: I the most important thing that the American people
realize is that we're steady and determined and patient, that we've
got a strategy in place to bring al Qaeda to justice, and at the same
time make it clear that any nation which harbors terrorists will be
held accountable for their decisions. And we are implementing our
strategy. And we appreciate any suggestions people may have.
But the strategy we have at the time right now is to use our military
to dismantle Taliban defenses, use our military to destroy al Qaeda
training bases, and to work with troops that now exist on the ground
to fulfill our mission. And I am pleased with the progress we're
making.
And I'm really pleased with the fact that the American people are
patient. They realize this is a war the likes of which they have never
seen before. And, therefore, they are rooting on their government and
the men and women who wear the uniform. They understand that it's
going to take a while to achieve our objective, and I appreciate that
patience.
Q: Sir, since so many of the hijackers were in the country legally, do
you plan to crack down on student visas or political asylum cases,
things of that sort?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, we plan on making sure that if a person has
applied for a student visa, they actually go to college or a
university. And, therefore, we're going to start asking a lot of
questions that heretofore have not been asked.
We're going to tighten up the visa policy. That's not to say we're not
going to let people come into our country; of course we are. But we're
going to make sure that when somebody comes, we understand their
intended purpose and that they fulfill the purpose that they -- on
their application.
You bring up a very good point, Steve. And that is, that sometimes,
people come here with no intention to fulfill their purpose. And when
we find those, they will be escorted out of the United States.
Q: Mr. President, a couple of weeks ago the FBI issued an alert
indicating that within several days the country could be attacked by
terrorists again. Does the government still believe and have
information to support the notion that Osama bin Laden is planning a
second wave of attacks, and do you believe that all of the resources
now dedicated to the anthrax situation reduce the country's level of
preparedness?
THE PRESIDENT: We believe that the country must stay on alert, that
there is -- that our enemies still hate us. Our enemies have no values
that regard life as precious. They're active, and therefore, we're
constantly in touch with our law enforcement officials to be prepared.
Now, having said that, the American people must go about their lives.
And I recognize it's a fine balance. But the American people also
understand that the object of any terrorist activity is to cause
Americans to abandon their lifestyles.
Every American is a soldier, and every citizen is in this fight. And I
am proud of our country. Our country is united and strong, and we're
prepared. We've got ample resources to fight the war on the home front
on many fronts. And part of our purpose of being here is to make sure
that those resources are well organized and that fit into a strategy
that this administration is designing.
Q: We have some new consumer confidence numbers coming out tomorrow,
so perhaps this would be a better question to ask then. But based on
what you're hearing from all of the people in this room, what is your
sense of the extent which the terrorist attacks, now the anthrax
mailings, are having on the consumer? And is it your sense that people
really are hunkering down, they're apprehensive, they're -- are they
finding it difficult to get back to their daily routines?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I haven't seen the numbers, but my view of the
mood of the country is, is that the country understands we've entered
into a new period in our history. And that there is a -- that lives
are simply not going to be as normal as they were in the past. And
that so long as there is terrorist activities in the world and
aggression toward our country, that people are going to have to be
diligent and on guard, and they are.
Now, having said that, the American people are very patient, and they
appreciate the efforts of the government, and they appreciate the
efforts of our military. They understand better than most, better than
the world, that this is going to take a long period of time, and they
are prepared for this.
They are prepared to wait in long lines at airports. They're prepared
to support our military. They are prepared to support local law
enforcement as local law enforcement works hard with federal officials
to disrupt any potential terrorist activities.
And so, the mood of the country is certainly different from what it
was on September the 10th, but I find the mood of the country to be
incredibly refreshing and strong and powerful. It is a clear statement
to anybody who would want to harm us that instead of weakening
America, they have strengthened America.
And how that -- what that means to the economy, it means that the --
it means that over time, our economy is going to be just as strong as
the American spirit. And so I'm very optimistic about the economy. How
long it will take to recover to the levels that we hope is just -- is
beyond my pay grade. But I can tell you that the people of this
country are strong and resolute, and for that I am grateful and
incredibly proud.
Last question.
Q: Mr. President, we understand this task force is to help tighten and
close the loopholes in immigration laws. Why were these loopholes so
vast, and why were they left for so long? And also, what do you say to
the American public who is concerned about anti-American sentiment
among Americans who may have helped these immigrants who came in and
started September the 11th?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, of course, I -- you know, our country has been an
incredibly generous country, the most generous country in the world.
We're generous with our universities, we're generous with our job
opportunities, we're generous with the beautiful system that is, that
if you come here and you work hard, you can achieve a dream.
Never did we realize then that people would take advantage of our
generosity to the extent they have. September the 11th taught us an
interesting lesson, that while -- by far, the vast majority of people
who have come to America are really good, decent people, people that
we're proud to have here. There are some who are evil. And our job now
is to find the evil ones and to bring them to justice, to disrupt
anybody who might have designs on hurting -- further hurting
Americans.
The second part of your question? Sorry.
Q: The second part is about the Americans in this country who -- some
may have helped the terrorists.
THE PRESIDENT: I think Americans who unwittingly helped people that
hurt Americans regret that now. Americans who are willingly
participants and have plans to hurt America, they will be brought to
justice. My judgment is, anybody who is a terrorist or helps a
terrorist are equally culpable. And so, we're doing everything we can,
obviously within the law.
And we've got now a new law that will help us pursue those who would
harm Americans and those who would help them harm Americans. People
need to be held accountable in America, and we're going to do just
that.
Thank you all.
(end transcript)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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