"were issued legitimate tourist or student visas abroad by a Department of State more concerned with facilitating travel than protecting America. Those illegals simply stayed in America as they pleased, as long as they pleased, doing whatever they pleased, whether that be working out-of-status or, in the extreme case, going to flight school and conducting the attacks of September 11."
"The system works like this. A Department of State employee abroad at one of our embassies or consulates issues tourist, student, and temporary worker visas. While the terms of those visas are set by law, the standards of adjudication (i.e., who actually gets a visa under a part of the law called 214(b)) are largely determined by mid-level officials at each overseas post. Once issued, the visa is valid, in the case of most tourist visas, for 10 years."
"That means the person issued that visa can use it to enter the U.S. once or as many times as they like during a 10-year period. There is no further review of circumstances that may change in the person's life or their home country during those 10 years. There are an estimated 55 million such valid non-immigrant visas in existence in the hands of travelers from Niger to Iran, from China to Russia."
Two primary avenues produced the millions of illegal residents: unauthorized crossings at the southern border and visa overstays after lawful admission. Department of State consular officers abroad issue tourist, student, and temporary worker visas, while adjudication standards under 214(b) are largely set by mid-level officials at overseas posts. Most tourist visas remain valid for up to 10 years without routine re-evaluation of changed circumstances. An estimated 55 million valid non-immigrant visas exist and over 10.4 million were issued in FY2023. Decades of little internal immigration enforcement allowed many visa holders to remain out-of-status until recent policy shifts.
Read at The American Conservative
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