Speech #1100160624

Even more embarrassing than the original U.S. embrace of apartheid policies was the fact that few of those who opposed apartheid in the United States Government. including many of us in Congress. were even aware of the residual terrorist designations against ANC members. Despite recognizing two decades ago that Americas place was on the side of those oppressed by apartheid. Congress has never resolved the inconsistency in our immigration code that treats many of those who actively opposed apartheid in South Africa as terrorists and criminals. in part because the apartheid regime labeled them as such. Increasingly. stringent security measures passed by Congress since 2001 have further ensnared ANC members. Because the ANC used armed force as part of its campaign against the repressive apartheid regime in South Africa. current law continues to regard the ANC as a terrorist organization and to deny entry to members based on their affiliation with the ANC. The intent of H.R. 5690 is to purge the United States of any residual effect of its former policies with regard to the South African Government and to update U.S. law with regard to the ANC. The bill. as amended. specifically removes the ANC from treatment as a terrorist organization and grants the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security the discretionary authority to determine that certain criminal- and securityrelated grounds of inadmissibility do not apply to an alien with respect to activities undertaken in opposition to apartheid rule in South Africa. I want to take a moment just to compliment again the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee. who has very strong and passionate views on the issues of immigration and. obviously. also. as we all do in this Chamber. on the issue of terrorist organizations and inadmissibility for those organizations. He has truly understood and Internalized the historic transition here and the unfairness of the present situation. And I do want to affirm one point that he raised.