Speech #1010039071

That legislation will expire on October 1. It is important that this provision be made permanent lest we needlessly erect an unwarranted barrier to adoption of foreign children by American families. The problem was originally created with a 1987 memorandum by the General Counsel of the Immigration and Naturalization Services [INS] Interpreting a provision of the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 [IRCA]. The effect of the memo was to apply a provision in the definition of "illegitimate children" to the definition of "orphan." The author of the provision in question. Congressman BARNEY PRANK. says that it was not his intention to affect the definition of "orphan." He intended to extend the rights enjoyed by American mothers of illegitimate children born overseas to American fathers in similar circumstances.