[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 130 (Thursday, September 25, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1866]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      EXTEND SECTION 245(i) OF THE IMMIGRATION AND NATIONALITY ACT

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                         HON. ROBERT A. WEYGAND

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 25, 1997

  Mr. WEYGAND. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to discuss the importance of 
extending section 245(i) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.
  Section 245(i) allows immigrants who are out of status, but legally 
eligible for visas, to pay a $1,000 fee to adjust their status while 
remaining within the borders of the United States.
  These immigrants are eligible to obtain legal status in the form of 
permanent residence in this country based on a family relationship or 
an offer of employment.
  What naysayers must understand is that the 245(i) program does not 
alter U.S. immigration policy, or make entering our country any easier. 
What it does is assist a pediatrician who comes to this country to help 
care for our kids. It helps foreign students who have been educated at 
American universities and have chosen to utilize their new talents 
right here in the United States. It assists a wife who comes to America 
to join her husband who has built a solid career here. It allows all of 
these people to renew their status with a fee, rather than requiring 
them to take a return trip to their native country. In some cases they 
may not be able to return for 3 to 5 years.
  But the dream of staying in the United States for many of these 
people may soon be just that--a dream. Next Tuesday, these people who 
have come here hoping to be reunited with a family member or hoping to 
provide their talents to the greatest nation on earth, may be forced 
back to their native land without a blink of an eye. On September 30, 
1997, 245(i) is scheduled to sunset. If we do not extend this section, 
a mass deportation will occur--wives will be taken from their husbands' 
arms and valued workers will lose their jobs. Families will be ripped 
apart and businesses will be disrupted. We should not and cannot allow 
this to happen.
  An extension of 245(i) would not only benefit immigrants currently 
living in the United States, their family members and their employers, 
but would benefit our country as a whole. For example, that fee these 
immigrants pay to renew their status goes straight into the U.S. State 
Department coffers, at a sum of $200 million each year. 245(i) provides 
the Immigration and Naturalization Service with the funds necessary to 
carry out important enforcement and detention functions.
  By allowing immigrants to change their status within the our Nation, 
the United States has also been able to reduce the applications at the 
consulate by 3 percent. This allows them to focus on their primary 
functions of enhancing foreign diplomacy and assisting United States 
citizens living or traveling abroad.
  I ask you, as Members of Congress and representatives of the people, 
what is the benefit to our country of breaking up families and breaking 
down businesses? I urge my colleagues to support the extension of this 
necessary and beneficial provision.

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