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US govt scraps post 9/11 rule on multiple registration
Washington, Dec 02: The United States government is scrapping a rule imposed after the Sept. 11 attacks that required men and boys from countries with suspected links to terrorism to register multiple times.
Washington, Dec 02: The United States government is scrapping a rule imposed after the Sept. 11 attacks that required men and boys from countries with suspected links to
terrorism to register multiple times.
The rule forced tens of thousands of people from the Middle East and other countries to provide personal information to government officials.
Asa Hutchinson, the homeland Security Department's Undersecretary for Border and Transportation Security, said a new registration system that will apply to more foreigners will be in place next month, making the current programme unnecessary.
The programme will end today when a notice is published in the federal register. Hutchinson said it could be used again if there is another terrorist attack linked to a foreign country.
Critics who contend the rule infringed on the rights of law-abiding citizens welcomed its end. But they tempered their response with warnings that the requirement already had caused damage in Arab and Muslim communities and that the government still has rules in place that discriminate against those groups.
The rule is part of a programme known as National Security Entry Exit Registration System, or NSEERS. It established a national registry for foreign visitors from 25 mainly Middle Eastern countries.
Bureau Report
Asa Hutchinson, the homeland Security Department's Undersecretary for Border and Transportation Security, said a new registration system that will apply to more foreigners will be in place next month, making the current programme unnecessary.
The programme will end today when a notice is published in the federal register. Hutchinson said it could be used again if there is another terrorist attack linked to a foreign country.
Critics who contend the rule infringed on the rights of law-abiding citizens welcomed its end. But they tempered their response with warnings that the requirement already had caused damage in Arab and Muslim communities and that the government still has rules in place that discriminate against those groups.
The rule is part of a programme known as National Security Entry Exit Registration System, or NSEERS. It established a national registry for foreign visitors from 25 mainly Middle Eastern countries.
Bureau Report