WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, sent a letter Wednesday to Acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Chad Wolf to better understand the vulnerabilities our visa system faces from Iran, Hizballah, and other Iranian proxies.
Chairman Johnson wrote, “The U.S. government must remain vigilant against a real threat of violence to the homeland by Iran or any of the foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) that Iran sponsors. This includes taking steps to ensure that our immigration system adjusts along with this changing threat landscape.
“Although the U.S. restricts the visas available to Iranian nationals, individuals associated with Iran-sponsored FTOs may seek to travel to the U.S. from places not subject to these visa restrictions. For example, Lebanese Hizballah members may have Lebanese passports, which allow them to travel into the U.S. more freely. Additionally, reporting indicates that hundreds of student visas have been issued to Iranian nationals in FY2019 and thousands in FY2018. To better understand how DHS is adapting to this dynamic threat environment, I respectfully request the following records and information…”
Full text of the letter is below, and the letter can be viewed here.
