The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“THE SECURITY AND FAIRNESS ENHANCEMENT FOR AMERICA ACT” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1492-E1493 on July 22, 2004.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
THE SECURITY AND FAIRNESS ENHANCEMENT FOR AMERICA ACT
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HON. WILLIAM L. JENKINS
of tennessee
in the house of representatives
Thursday, July 22, 2004
Mr. JENKINS. Mr. Speaker, a significant majority of Americans believes that current immigration levels need to be reduced, according to consistent polling results over the last decade. This country currently admits about one million new legal immigrants every year. An undetermined number come in illegally. Realistically, it will take several years to produce the comprehensive reforms that are needed. However, there is something that we can do now to improve the situation.
In 1990, immigration laws were changed to include a new diversity lottery program. The premise of this new program was to encourage more immigration from nations that were not already sending large numbers to the United States. Unfortunately, the current format for this lottery program are subject to fraud and abuse and leave our nation exposed to those who may seek to do harm on American soil.
Under this program, any applicant that applies under the current setup for this program may be chosen at random and given the status of a permanent resident simply based upon luck. We already have a tragic example of the potential for danger with the story of Hesham Mohamed Ali Hedayet, the gunmen who killed two people at the Los Angeles International Airport in July of 2002. The investigation of this shooting revealed that the gunman had been in the U.S. illegally, but his wife won the visa lottery. This enabled the husband to apply for permanent status and remain in the country to commit his crimes.
There are also a number of stories of fraud and abuse that have been identified by the Inspector General of the State Department. Duplicate applications, identity fraud, and forged documents have been found to be commonplace in these reviews, leaving our national security at risk.
The current diversity visa program does a disservice to our immigration policy and to those immigrants who have moved through the more traditional process that allows them to lawfully reside in this country. Combining this with the clear threats to our national security, it is imperative that we take steps to reform this dangerous program.
Legislation has been introduced that I have cosponsored, H.R. 775, the Security and Fairness Enhancement for America Act, which would eliminate the visa lottery program. The House Immigration Subcommittee has held a hearing on the proposal, and we should continue efforts to move it promptly through the legislative process.
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