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.
“INTRODUCING THE VISA INFORMATION SECURITY ACT OF 2001” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E1820 on Oct. 5, 2001.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
INTRODUCING THE VISA INFORMATION SECURITY ACT OF 2001
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HON. GENE GREEN
of texas
in the house of representatives
Friday, October 5, 2001
Mr. GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Visa Information Security Act of 2001 (VISA Act)--legislation that increase the security of the American people by closing some of the loopholes within our visa applicatiot system. This legislation requires that all non-immigrant visa applicants submit a biometric fingerprint as of the routine visa application process.
Specifically, it would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to require that non-immigrant visa applicants provide a biometric identifier, such as a fingerprint, that is machine readable, to be contained the visa or other documentation required for admission at their port of entry into the United States.
The recent terrorist attacks have highlighted the need to review the visa application process and we call improve the screening process used by U.S. Consular offices abroad. Usually, visa applicant names are checked against the State Department database for admissibility. However, some individuals use false information from their country of origin when they apply for a visa or use stolen visas to enter the U.S. As the Washington Post reported today, in the last few years, one country lost approximately 60,000 visas.
While it is impossible to screen every single individual who enters our country, with advanced technology and better coordination with the intelligence community we can better secure our nations border. However, in order to effectively authenticate individuals, we need a method based on inherent characteristics of a person that cannot be lost, changed or duplicated. Through biometric fingerprints, we would have an accurate and clear idea of who is entering our country.
This process is quick and efficient and can be run through our national criminal database to see if the applicant should or should not be allowed into the country. Additionally, when the individual enters the country through the port of entry, his fingerprints will be scanned to verif, authenticity. Adding this technology requirement would not add significant time to the visa application process. But it would certainly prevent known terrorists and criminals from entering the country, while at the same time decrease fraudulent visa requests.
In addition, this legislation authorizes the Attorney General to impose a new fee on all visa applicants to cover the costs of implementing this important program. I want to note that my legislation will not apply to NAFTA participating countries and actually allows the Attorney General maximum discretion to decide what methods to utilize for those types of border crossings.
Mr. Speaker, we need to collect more information about the individuals trying to enter this country, but we must do it in a way that does not overburden our consular offices and still allows for visitors to enter the United States. My legislation is an economical first step in increasing our national security and I intend to work tirelessly for its passage.
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