According to a new report by the Department of Homeland Security, more than a half a million individuals overstayed their temporary visas in the United States in 2015, joining the estimated 11 million people who are already here unlawfully.
Via Fox News:
Around 527,127 aliens temporally granted U.S. business and tourist visas were found to have stayed in the United States longer than legally permitted, according to DHS’s 2015 entry and exit overstay report.
Of those who did not leave the United States on time, around 482,781 are believed to still be illegally residing in the United States, according to the report, which was issued by DHS amid debate in Congress over an Obama administration initiative to permit around 170,000 new immigrants from Muslim-majority nations in 2016.
Many of the overstays came from places considered by the U.S. government to be training grounds for terrorists.
Last year there were 219 illegal overstays from Afghanistan, 681 from Iraq, 564 from Iran, 56 from Libya, 1,435 from Pakistan, 440 from Syria, and 219 from Yemen, according to the report. Many are still in the United States illegally.
“The federal government is on strike,” Senator Jeff Sessions declared on Fox News’ Special Report Wednesday. “They are deliberately and systematically refusing to deal with Visa overstays. This is unbelievable. “
“Apparently the policy of this administration is to do nothing about this,” Senator Cornyn (R-TX) said.
Sessions asked DHS officials during a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on the visa overstay crisis to explain their failure to construct and implement a congressionally mandated biometric exit system that many believe would help cut down on the number of overstays. The mandate has been in place since 2002. The officials had no answers.”If we do not track and enforce departures, then we have open borders.”
“So this nation, despite clear law, makes no attempt to identify, locate, or find these people who have overstayed their visas. I think the American people want their laws to be enforced,” Sessions added dolefully. “Either we’ve got a sovereign nation, or we don’t.”
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