Speech #930091838

Mr. President. section 212 (i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act reads: Any alien who is the spouse. parent. or child of a United States citizen or of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence and who is excludable because (1) he seeks. has sought to procure. or has procured. a visa or other documentation. or entry into the United States by fraud or misrepresentation. or (2) he admits the commission of perjury in connection therewith. may be granted a visa and admitted to the United States for permanent residence. if otherwise admissible. if the Attorney General in his discretion has consented to the aliens applying or reapplying for a visa and for admission to the United States. Under section 212(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. an alien who is the spouse. parent or child of a citizen or permanent resident who seeks to or has procured a visa or entry to the United States by fraud or misrepresentation or perjury. may be granted a visa. if otherwise admissible. with the consent of the Attorney General. Because a child is defined in section 101(b) (1) of the Immigration and Nationality Act as an unmarried person under the age of 21 years. sons and daughters of citizens and resident aliens who are over the age of 21 years are not eligible for this waiver of excludability. Since it is the firm and settled principle of our immigration law to reunite families. to make this waiver available only to a "child"-as well as parent or spouseof a U.S. citizen or resident alien surely does not serve the purpose of reuniting families. Alltoo frequently. the fraud. misrepresentation or perjury is committed by a son or daughter not much over the age of 21 and consists of denying their marital statusnot necessarily to obtain a first or second preference visaavailable to unmarried sons or daughters of citizens and resident aliens. respectivelyas against a fourth preference visa which is available to married sons and daughters of citizens. but rather for fear of incurring a parents wrath at their having married without the parents consent. � Congress has long made it clear that it is the intent to keep family units together and preserve family ties. even at the cost of rigorous enforcement of the immigration law. In keeping with this humanitarian goal. not only children. parents and spouses of citizens and resident aliens should be eligible for this waiver. but sons and daughters should be eligible for this waiver of exclusion. My bill would accomplish this by substituting the words "son. or daughter" for the word "child" now in section 212(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Mr. President. I ask unanimous consent that the text of my bill amending the Immigration and Nationality Act to include sons and daughters within the provision relating to waiving the exclusion from the United States for fraud be printed in the RECORD at this point.