United States officials were especially concerned that the terrorists had been able to enter the country without raising suspicions and that some had been able to remain in the country after their visas expired. Six weeks after the attacks, Congress passed the USA Patriot Act of 2001. It provided funds for additional border agents and for implementing technologies and processes that would spot terrorists when they attempted to enter the country. It also authorized the indefinite detention of any noncitizen suspected of engaging in terrorist activities. The attorney general was given discretion to determine who was a suspected terrorist. Even before the law had passed, the U.S. Department of Justice rounded up and detained for questioning several thousand individuals from the Middle East. Federal immigration courts held hearings on their status in secret, much to the dismay of immigrants' rights groups. Those found to be in the country illegally were ordered deported.
September 11 raised scrutiny of U.S. immigration policy. In coming years, legislators will be looking closely at such issues as tracking, enforcement, racial profiling, and border control. Furthermore, immigration levels will likely be debated because record level of immigration in the 1990s are likely to significantly alter the nation's ethnic composition in the coming years. Some people favor tighter immigration restrictions to maintain a cultural balance and keep standards of living high for all current citizens and residents. Others, however, point to the United States' historical commitment to immigration and believe that immigrants keep the nation economically competitive and culturally rich. Policymakers will continue to reassess whom America should let in "both to visit and stay.
Throughout its history, the United States has offered immigrants the opportunity to build a better life, and it continues to admit large number of newcomers every year.
