A bill that would require colleges and universities to report all student, faculty, and staff visa holders to the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) has been introduced by Senate Intelligence Chair Tom Cotton (R-AR) to “ensure foreign nationals aren’t stealing valuable research.”

The Educational Visa Transparency Act, unveiled Tuesday, would mandate that publicly funded institutions of higher education submit a “complete and accurate list of all students, faculty members, and administrators enrolled at or employed by such institution who are not United States citizens or lawful permanent residents” to SEVIS within 60 days of passage. 

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Cotton’s proposed legislation comes just months after three Chinese nationals affiliated with a University of Michigan laboratory were criminally charged for allegedly conspiring to smuggle biological materials into the United States, Breitbart News reported.

Xu Bai, 28, Fengfan Zhang, 27, and Zhiyong Zhang, 30, all J-1 visa holders conducting research at the University of Michigan’s laboratory overseen by Professor Xianzhong “Shawn” Xu, are accused of attempting to smuggle in biological substances related to roundworms without disclosing it to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

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If foreigners at higher education institutions were part of the SEVIS database, DHS would have closer monitoring capabilities on who exactly the U.S. is schooling and employing at publicly funded colleges and universities. 

“Unmonitored foreign nationals in the labs and research centers of our colleges and universities pose a grave national security threat,” Cotton said in an exclusive statement to Breitbart News. “My bill will require tracking all student and faculty visas to ensure foreign nationals aren’t stealing valuable research.”

Olivia Rondeau is a politics reporter for Breitbart News based in Washington, DC. Find her on X/Twitter and Instagram.