Fears mount over ‘fortress’ America

been handcuffed, interrogated, held in a cell and maltreated by American security staff. This was as a result of landing at Los Angeles International Airport for a brief stay with the incorrect type of visa. With imminent laws insisting that all new passports contain biometric data such as fingerprints and iris scans, worse appears on the way. Many travellers are also desperately hoping Congress will grant a delay to the current deadline of October to help avert chaos as countries try to introduce the new passports. People will soon have to queue to have photos taken and be fingerprinted — the kind of procedure most countries reserve for their criminals. It is not surprising that such prospects and news stories are causing some students and researchers to rethink their foreign study plans in the US. As the US tightens its grip on visa applications post 9/11 and restricts some areas of biomedical research, universities are increasingly worried they may lose their pre-eminent role in attracting foreign students and scientists. Nigel Williams reports.