Speech #960162773

Newsweek adds an ominous note. "some European counterintelli.Zence specialists believe that as many as 5.000 of the 60.000 Iranian students abroad belong to Marxist or Trotskyite groups and that 500 or so are active members of terrorist cells." Given that there are no solid numbers of how many Iranian students are really residing outside of Iran. all of these numbers are only estimates. Numbers problems are not the only thing hampering adequate monitoring of Iranian activities. The Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) had not checked on the status of student visas until April 1979. On that date the agency announced it was planning monthly. random checks on 1 percent of all foreign students in the United States. This effort quickly bogged down. and as of September no deportation proceedings had even been begun as a result of the spot checks. Monitoring visas does not root out the possible terrorists nor does it provide information on arms caches or terrorist projects in the works. Unfortunately any monitoring of foreign students to prevent terrorism is hampered by provisions in the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. which defines aliens admitted for permanent residence as "United States persons" and confers privileges and immunities pertaining to American citizens. In addition.