Speech #990286216

Mr. President. I am pleased today to present to my colleagues for their approval H.R. 3737. the Immigration Marriage Fraud Amendments of 1986. This legislation is the product of work done by Congressman BILL MCCOLLUM of Florida. a member of the House Subcommittee on Immigration. Refugees. and International Law. and my fine colleague from Illinois. Senator PAUL SIMON. a member of the Subcommittee on Immigration and Refugee Policy. The legislation we consider today attempts to deter a growing problem with immigrant status derived from marriage to a U.S. citizen: marriage fraud. Present U.S. law grants immediate permanent resident alien status to any alien who marries a U.S. citizen. For the many people who wish to enter our country by any means possible. the convenience and generosity of this immigration status has become a frequent target for fraud. A sample study conducted by the INS recently determined that up to 30 percent of applications for adjustment of status based on an aliens marriage to a U.S. citizen were actually submitted in order to evade U.S. immigration laws. Clearly. legislative correction is needed to detect and deter this abuse of our laws. The legislation proposed today would do so by placing all recipients of permanent residence through marriage to a U.S. citizen in a 2year conditional status. That status shall be removed at the end of the 2year period after the couple proves to the INS that the marriage is still valid. The legislation would also tighten other areas of our immigration law with regard to fiance visas and the granting of immigration status to any alien who has previously failed to maintain a valid marriage to a U.S. citizen for 2 years. The Subcommittee on Immigration held the first hearing ever on this subject in July 1985. and Senator SIMON introduced legislation in this body. of which I was a cosponsor. in April 1986. The bill was passed by the Immigration Subcommittee on July 17. 1986. and the Committee on the Judiciary favorably reported the bill on August 7. 1986. I am pleased to present this legislation for action by the entire body. and I am confident that the full and proper procedures have been followed in the processing of this legislation.