Foreign students under closer watch.(Evening)

Byline: Frank Zoretich fzoretich@abqtrib.com / 823-3623

The University of New Mexico's 907 foreign students will face closer scrutiny when they return to campus this month.

In an upward tweak for America's "homeland security," UNM will have to keep closer watch on their foreign students.

The Patriot Act, passed by Congress a month after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on America, requires schools admitting foreign students to start feeding information about their enrollment status to the federal government.

Universities and colleges provide the information through a new Web-based monitoring system set up by the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.

The information will also be available to the U.S. State Department, the agency that issues or denies non-immigrant student visas at its consulates around the world.

The campus monitoring is causing some concern at U.S. colleges and universities.

"The word …