Speech #820201684

Mr. - Chairman. this amendment deals with a very difficult situation for many Americans. not just for aliens. As you will see from this bill. the consular officer in every small place or large place in the world has absolute and untrammeled jurisdiction to deny any alien a visa. For example by the new section 212 (a) (27) a consular officer can deny an alien a visa if he does not think he is good for the United States. that is. solely. principally. or incidentally to engage in activities which would be prejudicial to the public interest. It seems to me that we should have some opportunity if any American citizen or organization should sponsor an alien to review that finding by the local consular officer. who is not bound now. in my view. and I think that is clear from the bill almost in any way at all. except by his own discretion. If he thinks the fellow is good for the United States and he meets all the other requirements he says "Yes". if not. he says "No." and that is the end of it. except possibly if a Member of Congress complains he might get the State Department to pay some attention to him. All this amendment does is to set up a Visa Review Board of three within the State Department to which any American citizen or organization can appeal if he believes an alien he has sponsored.should receive a visa. If that Visa Review Board finds that according to the law the consular officer erred. it may reverse the consular officer. That is the simplest kind of justice. The consular officers are located in all the highways and byways of the world. They may not even be aware at a particular time of what is the latest attitude or the latest point of view of the State Department. yet their denial of a visa to an alien or even to a nonquota immigrant which they have the power to do is absolute and final. I should doubt that even they would want such final power from my personal knowledge of scores of these hardworking and distinguished public servants. I think that is an elementary question and we ought to create some machinery to take care of it. We put in an amendment providing for an Immigration Appeals Board and I think that exactly the same reason exists to vote favorably upon this amendment for a Visa Review Board. I wish to emphasize that it does not affect our domestic operations on visas and passports but only the visa powers abroad.