Speech #1040197463

Two events have changed this sense of safety. The first was the internationallysponsored terrorist attack of February 26. 1993 against the New York World Trade Center. and the second was the domestic terrorist attack just a year ago on April 19 in Oklahoma City. I first introduced the Terrorist Exclusion Act in the House three years ago. and last year I reintroduced the legislation in the Senate with Senator BROWN as my original cosponsor. The Terrorist Exclusion Act will close a dangerous loophole in our visa laws which was created by the Immigration Reform Act of 1990. With its rewrite of the McCarranWalters Act. Congress eliminated thenexisting authority to deny a U.S. visa to a known member of a violent terrorist organization. The new standards required knowledge that the individual had been personally involved in a past terrorist act or was coming to the United States to conduct such an act. This provision will restore the previous standard allowing denial of a U.S. visa for membership in a terrorist group. I discovered this dangerous weakness in our visa laws in early 1993 during my investigation of the State Department failures that allowed the radical Egyptian cleric. Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman. to travel to. and reside in. the United States since 1990. 1 undertook this investigation in my role as ranking Republican of the House International Operations Subcommittee. which has jurisdiction over terrorism issues. a role I have continued in the Senate as Chair of the International Operations Subcommittee of the Foreign Relations Committee. Sheikh Rahman is the spiritual leader of Egypts terrorist organization.