New immigration rules proposed this week are an important step toward protecting Americans from another international terrorist threat on U.S. soil.

Effective immediately, international students are required to obtain a student visa before beginning classes in the United States. Previously, foreign students wishing to study in America were permitted to begin classes while their visa applications were being reviewed. In addition, the Immigration and Naturalization Service wants to make it more difficult for a visitor to switch to a student visa after entering the country.

Other restrictions proposed by the INS would limit tourists and businesspeople to a 30-day visit and make it more difficult to extend their stay.

Finally, the INS has started taking necessary steps to protect Americans from the terrorists who have been able to take advantage of our lax immigration policy. The fact that two of the Sept. 11 hijackers were able to switch to student visas and begin flight school in Florida more than a year before their visas were approved is intolerable and a prime example of why the laws need to be changed.

Although the majority of our visitors and international students mean no harm to our country, we have learned from Sept. 11 that we need to have strict policies to identify those who have malicious intentions.

Identifying visitors who may pose a threat is not enough, however. The INS needs a system that will allow it to account for all international students and visitors at any time. After Sept. 11, the INS admitted that it could not locate the majority of international students and promised to develop a system to better track them. A tracking system should be the next step. The changes the INS made this week are a start in what should be a complete overhaul of U.S. immigration policy.

Our country has always welcomed international students and visitors and should continue to do so, but the Sept. 11 attacks have made it necessary to be conscious of threats to our security. An immigration policy that reflects such a consciousness will ensure an event like Sept. 11 will never happen again.

Editorial Board: John Wakefield, Laura Pelner, Dave Stephens, Heather Mangold, Melissa Davis