Speech #1020161232

President. we have had 1.000 days to adjust to the slaughter on Tiananmen Square. We have only half that time. however. to avoid further injustice to those longing for democracy. On January 1 of 1994. the Executive order that protected the deportation of Chinese nationals will expire. and unless this Senate acts now. those covered by the Executive order will lose not only their hopes and dreams of U.S. residency. but their very lives may be in jeopardy. That is why I introduced S. 1216. the Chinese Student Protection Act. That is why so many other thoughtful Senators joined with me. The measure is designed to release the Chinese nationals covered by the 1989 Executive order from their current immigration limbo and to provide them the option of applying for permanent residency here in the United States. Since introduction of this bill. several changes have been added to address concerns of both Chinese students and United States immigration officials. Those changes include a provision granting the benefits of the act only to those covered who have continuously resided in the United States since the Tiananmen Square massacre other than for brief. casual. and innocent absences. In addition. those covered may not have visited China for more than 90 days. A second change involves a provision to count those persons receiving permanent residency under new worldwide immigration levels established by the Immigration Act of 1990. Additional provisions also address the need to count them under Chinas per country ceiling without adversely affecting ongoing immigration from China. A third change applies standard immigration law exclusions to those covered by the Executive order. Those may bar criminals. Communist Party members. and those likely to become a public charge. Finally. individuals covered by the Executive order will be permitted to apply immediately for permanent residency rather than wait 18 months under temporary residency as proposed under the original legislation. These changes are the product of long. difficult hours of thoughtful debate to accommodate the safety concerns of Chinese students and legitimate United States immigration policy goals. Meanwhile. the thousands covered by the Executive order have waited patiently for action by the Congress. This bill responds to their desperate plea for a future in the United States of America.