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New Entry
and Exit Control Systems for All Non-U.S. Citizens
Posted
Oct 12, 1998
On
or before September 30, 1998, the INS is required to introduce an automated
entry and exit control system. This is required according to Section 110
of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of
1996 (IIRAIRA). This system is to maintain a record for every non U.S.
citizen departing the United States and match the records of departure
with the record of the arrival of the person to the United States. This
record is required for all non U.S. citizens -- including U.S. permanent
residents and short-term visitors, including Canadians. The law mandates
that this record should be in place at all ports of entry, including land
borders within approximately 2 months (i.e. September 30, 1998).
As many of
us can guess, the purpose of Section 110 is to prevent people from overstaying
their visas by requiring every non-U.S. citizen to check in and out of
the country, thereby enabling the INS to keep track of any person who
has remained in the U.S. past the authorized period of stay. The problem
is that at the present time, the INS has neither the technology nor the
capacity to achieve this goal without adverse consequences possibly to
all tourists and in all likelihood to U.S. citizens as well.
The American
Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) has argued that since the INS does
not have the resources to implement an entry and exit control system of
the magnitude and scope as envisioned by Section 110, it will result in
extreme delays and back-ups at ports of entry, particularly at land border
crossings which in turn will have a devastating impact on international
trade and tourism, the U.S. economy and U.S. citizens.
AILA correctly
points out that since a majority of tourists and permanent residents do
not violate our immigration laws, please contact your elected representatives
to support the Abraham/LaFalce bill (S.1360/H.R.2955) to rectify the negative
consequences of Section 110.
COSPONSORS
OF THE ABRAHAM AND LAFALCE BILLS (5/8/98)
Senate
House of
Representatives
Senator
Daniel Akaka (D-HI)
Senator
Max Baucus (D-MT)
Senator
Conrad Burns (R-MT) Rep. Doug Bereuter (R-NE)
Senator
Thad Cochran (R-MS) Rep. Henry Bonilla (R-TX)
Senator
Susan Collins (R-ME) Rep. John Conyers (D-MI)
Senator
Larry Craig (R-ID) Rep. Elizabeth Furse (D-OR)
Senator
Alfonse DAmato (R-NY) Rep. Tim Holden (D-PA)
Senator
Mike DeWine (R-OH) Rep. Amo Houghton (R-NY)
Senator
Byron Dorgan (D-ND)
Senator
Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Senator
John Glenn (D-OH) Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI)
Senator
Slade Gorton (R-WA) Rep. Steven LaTourette (R-OH)
Senator
Bob Graham (D-FL) Rep. Sander Levin (D-MI)
Senator
Rod Grams (R-MN) Rep John McHugh (R-NY)
Senator
Daniel Inouye (D-HI) Rep. Jack Metcalf (R-WA)
Senator
James Jeffords (R-VT)
Senator
Dirk Kempthorne (R-ID) Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN)
Senator
Edward Kennedy (D-MA)
Senator
Mary Landrieu (D-LA) Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D- ND)
Senator
Patrick Leahy (D-VT) Rep. Jack Quinn (R-NY)
Senator
Carl Levin (D-MI)
Senator
Connie Mack (R-FL)
Senator
John McCain (R-AZ) Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI)
Senator
Daniel Patrick Moynihan (D-NY) Rep. James Walsh (R-NY)
Senator
Frank Murkowski (R-AK)
Senator
Patty Murray (D-WA)
Senator
Rick Santorum (R-PA)
Senator
Olympia Snowe (R-ME)
Senator
Ted Stevens (R-AK)
Senator
Strom Thurmond (R-SC)
Senator
Paul Wellstone (D-MN)
House of
Representatives Members Continued
Rep. Doug
Bereuter (R-NE)
Rep. Henry
Bonilla (R-TX)
Rep. Tom
Campbell (R-CA)
Rep. John
Conyers (D-MI)
Rep. Jim
Davis (D-FL)
Rep. Philip
English (R-PA)
Rep. Barney
Frank (D-MA)
Rep. Elizabeth
Furse (D-OR)
Rep. Rick
Hill (R-MT)
Rep. Maurice
Hinchey (D-NY)
Rep. Tim
Holden (D-PA)
Rep. Amo
Houghton (R-NY)
Rep. Paul
Kanjorski (D-PA)
Rep. Carolyn
Kilpatrick (D-MI)
Rep. Scott
Klug (R-WI) Rep. Joseph Knollenberg (R-MI)
Rep. Jim
Kolbe (R-AZ)
Rep. Steven
LaTourette (R-OH)
Rep. Sander
Levin (D-MI)
Rep. Robert
Matsui (D-CA)
Rep. Jim
McDermott (D-WA)
Rep. John
McHugh (R-NY)
Rep. Jack
Metcalf (R-WA)
Rep. James
Oberstar (D-MN)
Rep. Bill
Paxon (R-NY)
Rep. Collin
Peterson (D-MN)
Rep. Earl
Pomeroy (D-ND)
Rep. Jack
Quinn (R-NY)
Rep. Bernard
Sanders (I-VT)
Rep. Jose
Serrano (D-NY)
Rep. Adam
Smith (D-WA)
Rep. Bart
Stupak (D-MI)
Rep. John
Sununu (R-NH)
Rep. Fred
Upton (R-MI)
Rep. James
Walsh (R-NY)
For those
who need help, contact the Law Office of Sheela Murthy's Advocacy Department
or the numbers below to voice your concern against Section 110 of
IIRAIRA.
Call 202-224-3121 (the Congressional Switchboard) to contact your Representative
and House Leadership. Fax your comments and concerns on Section 110, the
H1B cap issues and other immigration matters to the following at the fax
numbers mentioned below:
Rep. Newt
Gingrich: 202-225-4656
Rep. Richard Armey: 202-226-8100
Rep. Tom DeLay: 202-225-5241
Rep. Henry
Hyde: 202-225-1166
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