LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

H.R. 4009, introduced by Rep. Darryl Issa (R-CA), would increase the authority of the Attorney General to discipline INS employees who do not follow policies and procedures, including firing.

H.R. 4010, the Terrorist Admission Prevention Act of 2002, introduced by Rep. Dave Weldon (R-FL), would prohibit the issuance of immigrant and nonimmigrant visas to citizens, nationals, and those born in Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen, in addition to any country designated by the State Department as a state sponsor of terrorism.  The bar would not apply to diplomatic visas, nor would it apply to those who have dual citizenship with an other country, but those people would not be eligible for participation in the visa waiver program.  The prohibition would be in place until there is a system that will issue nationals of countries involved machine readable visas containing biometric data, an integrated database accessible to the INS and State Department, an entry-exit tracking system and a student visa tracking system.  It would also make citizens of the countries listed ineligible for adjustment of status under Section 245(i).

H.R. 4037, the Central American Security Act, introduced by Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA), would amend the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act by allowing Salvadorans, Guatemalans and Hondurans to apply for relief under the same terms as Cubans and Nicaraguans, and would extend the filing deadline for applications from 2000 until two years after regulations to implement the Central American Security Act are passed. 

H.R. 4043, introduced by Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ), would prohibit the federal government from accepting as identification documents issued by a state unless the state issues licenses to nonimmigrants that expire at the same time as the nonimmigrant visa. 

H.R. 4058, the Military Standards for Airport Security Screeners Act, introduced by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), would allow for those noncitizens who are eligible for military service to work as airport security screeners.  It would also allow noncitizens serving in the military to obtain naturalization based on active duty service during the operations in Bosnia and Kosovo, and during the current operations in Afghanistan.

H.R. 4074, the Refugee Protection Act of 2002, introduced by Rep. Christopher Smith (R-NJ), would make a number of changes to current refugee laws.  First, the use of expedited removal would be limited to declared “extraordinary migration situations.”  Inspection procedures would be amended to increase the ability to seek asylum, and credible fear determinations would be reviewed by immigration judges.  The bill would also eliminate the one-year deadline on filing asylum applications, and would remove the annual numerical limitation on the number of asylees who can be granted adjustment of status.  Finally, the bills calls for the development of alternatives to the detention of asylum seekers, and mandates that when asylum seekers are detained, they can be detained only at facilities that hold immigration detainees.  

To view the full legislative chart, please visit http://www.visalaw.com/advocacy.html.

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