Speech #1050119649

Mr. Chailrman. II.R. 2570 extends the visa waiver plot progrTm. The visa waiver program allhws busilness vlsiLore and tourists to enler l.lh Utnlld States without obtaining a visa. Currontly. 26 nations have qualified as visa waiver countries. Normally. a consular officer conducts a facetoface interview wii.h a visa applicant. tn chock for fraudulent documents and to weed out Individuals who rio not plan to leave the United States borre their visue expie. Since the visa waiver program removes the ordinary visa requirement. there is very legitimate concern that those intending to violate our Immigration laws. and perhaps more serious crines inside the United states. coul very well abuse It. The security or tie program currently rest on two standards. First. to become eligible. a nation must htvo a visa refusal rate of less than 2 percent. Second. to remainr In tho prograrm. a nation must. have a vsta overstay rate of less than 2 plrcenit. The INS has been unable to calculate specific visa overstay rates for close to 5 years. so there Is no reliable way to determlno If at country should. In fact. remain It the program. The only reasonable course of action is to extend the visa waiver program for 2 years. aus the administration recommends. so that the administration can Implement reforms that will allow it to determine those visa overstay rates. TPu encourage these efforts. this legishthlon incluus it provlbion requiring the INS to collect data regarding visa overstays and to report such data to Congress. Pending tihs review. tlie Attorney General. as well as the State Departmert. has strongly endorsed air exLenion rf tIls program. with no aniendmonats to chnuge the standards for entry. 1 urge all of nay colleagues to SUlpurt this bill and oppose any amendments tht would lower Lte standards and thus increase illegal Immigration in the United States. Mr. Chairman.