The student-visa crisis emerged from understandable concerns, since a number of 9/11 terrorists held non-immigrant student visas. Unfortunately, suspicion seems to have turned in some quarters to something worse--xenophobia, a fear or hatred of "foreigners," which may hinder progress, notes Alan I. Leshner, chief executive officer of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

"Multi-national research supports life-saving advances and technological innovation, and it enriches the learning environment," Leshner says. "It's important for the scientific community to speak out against xenophobia. It jeopardizes the long-standing, important tradition of cross- cultural research collaborations, and it works against scientific advances that promise to benefit us all."

Since a shaken U.S. government tightened visa rules in the wake of terrorist attacks, the backlog of visa applications from young scholars has continued to grow--from 1,000 cases tagged for review during 2000 to 14,000 in 2002. Sadly, a few members of the U.S. Congress recently have begun to suggest that foreign students may be taking university slots that would otherwise be given to Americans.

International students play an important role on U.S. campuses, since visa holders made up 36 percent of all graduate enrollments in U.S. science and engineering fields in 2000. Computer science, engineering and other fields have reported serious difficulties in recruiting qualified U.S. graduate students. Some 583,000 international students were expected to add almost $12 billion to the American economic machine during the 2001- 02 school year. >from *Fear of 'foreigners' may slow scientific progress*. May 30, 2003

related context
> amnesty international report 2003. people around the world are more insecure today than at any time since the end of the cold war. may 28, 2003
> directory of persecuted scientists and health professionals. human rights are preconditions for scientific endeavor and should be defended and encouraged as a matter of scientific freedom and responsibility. may 12, 2003
> attacks on science: ethics and public health. "january 11, 2002
> ground zero: 911 keys. september 11, 2001 [updated: january 1, 2002]

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> where you end and i begin