Speaker. on Tuesday. January 15. the Associated Press wire carried a most disturbing story concerning the admission of Iranians to the United States. It seems that since midNovember. or about the tme our fellow Americans were taken hostage in Tehran. nearly 7.600 Iraniansincluding about 1.200 "students"have entered this country with the blessing of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. A spokesman who gave the AP the figures said INS saw no inconsistency in admitting Iranians at a time when Americans were being held hostage in Tehran and he added. INS did not have the authority to block the entry of qualified Iranians. I hope you share my sense of outrage and bewilderment that this situation exists. given the state of our relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran. I find it truly incredible that we continue to allow aliens from Iran. as If nothing had happened. to freely enter this country. to reap the benefits of American culture. education. and technology. perhaps even to become part of the American labor force. while the Government of Iran holds Americans hostage at our own Embassy. Today I am introducing a concurrent resolution expressing the sense of the Congress that the President should. under authority granted him in the Immigration and Nationality Act. temporarily suspend the entry of Iranian nationals into the United States until such time as the hostages are released. or until normal diplomatic and economic relations are restored with the Islamic Republic. except in individual circumstances of grave humanitarian concern. I hope you will join me in cosponsoring this important resolution.
Keywords matched
Naturalization Immigration