U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) are working to improve shortcomings in the nation’s visa system.

They introduced a bill to strengthen counter-terrorism efforts, but are taking the wrong approach.

The components of the bill include stopping all student visas to individuals from countries included on the U.S. State Department’s list of terrorist-sponsoring states – Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Cuba, North Korea and Sudan.

Feinstein defended the bill by saying “our nation’s borders have become a sieve, creating ample opportunities for terrorists to enter and establish their operations without detection. This bill will strengthen our counter-terrorism efforts by connecting law enforcement with a centralized database, upgrade technologies used to prevent fraud and illegal entry and impose new restrictions on student visas to prevent misuse of the program by those who would do this nation harm.”

But by working to protect this nation, Feinstein and Kyl are making generalizations about seven countries and all their citizens that live there.

No one is denying the fact that some terrorists live in Syria or Libya.

But terrorists live in many places in the world besides those seven countries.

The same Web site lists 25 countries classified as “sensitive” featuring China, Georgia, India, Israel, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Russia and Taiwan.

So why is Feinstein stopping at only “terrorist” countries? Why not ban all future students from all “sensitive” countries? Or all students from the entire Middle East?

Better yet, let’s not allow any foreign students to study in the United States ever again because of the fear of terrorists. Why not a complete elimination of all international student programs?

Stopping student visas isn’t going to stop terrorism.

But other more reasonable improvements could improve the student visa situation.

Another part of the bill is to require the Immigration and Naturalization Service to conduct a background check before the State Department can issue a student visa.

Feinstein has reason for her concern.

The Immigration and Naturalization Service reported two of the 19 suspected hijackers are believed to have entered on foreign student visas.

So things do need to change.

The terrorist actions of Sept. 11 have altered international security in the United States forever.

But not enough to ban all foreign students from seven countries until further notice.

Feinstein wants this change to happen rapidly in order to prevent future terrorist attacks.

Prevention is the key to ending terrorism. But this is going too far.

editorialboard: Andrea Hauser, Tim Paluch, Michelle Kann, Zach Calef, Omar Tesdell