The US government has tightened its immigration policies, promising to use more extensive background checks and better intelligence-sharing to keep out suspected terrorists and their supporters.
Attorney General Mr John Ashcroft yesterday asked the State Department to designate 46 terrorist organisations whose members or supporters will not be permitted to enter the United States.
Among those listed are the Continuity IRA and three loyalist paramilitary groups, including the LVF.
|
The groups include those linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida network, those whose assets have been frozen by presidential order and others who US authorities have determined have engaged in terror.
"America will not allow terrorists to use our hospitality as a weapon against us," he said.
Even people who endorse terrorism or have supported terrorist groups in the past will be kept outside US borders or deported, Mr Ashcroft said.
Mr Ashcroft said he was creating a foreign terrorist tracking task force that will foster better coordination between intelligence, law enforcement and immigration officials.
He promised that the government will delve more deeply into the backgrounds of people seeking visitor visas and will turn the information over to the CIA and FBI for further investigation before issuing permission to enter.
The Justice Department said 1,087 people have been arrested or detained in the investigations of the September 11th attacks, including 182 charged with immigration violations.
The sudden tightening of immigration policies came amid growing criticism contending terrorists can enter the country too easily. The State Department said 15 of the 19 hijackers in the September 11th attacks applied for visas in Saudi Arabia.
AP