[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 147 (Thursday, October 15, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12624-S12625]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       PRIVATE RELIEF LEGISLATION

  The Senate proceeded to consider the bill (S. 2476) for the relief of 
Wei Jengsheng, which had been reported from the Committee on the 
Judiciary, with an amendment to strike all after the enacting clause 
and inserting in lieu thereof the following:

     SECTION 1. PERMANENT RESIDENCE.

       Notwithstanding any other provision of law, for purposes of 
     the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.), 
     Wei Jingsheng shall be held and considered to have been 
     lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent 
     residence as of the date of the enactment of this Act upon 
     payment of the required visa fee.

     SEC. 2. REDUCTION OF NUMBER OF AVAILABLE VISAS.

       Upon the granting of permanent residence to Wei Jingsheng 
     as provided in this Act, the Secretary of State shall 
     instruct the proper officer to reduce by one during the 
     current fiscal year the total number of immigrant visas 
     available to natives of the country of the alien's birth 
     under section 203(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act 
     (8 U.S.C. 1153(a)).


[[Page S12625]]


  Mr. ABRAHAM. Mr. President, I rise today to thank my colleagues for 
the unanimous support they have given for the Wei Jingsheng Freedom of 
Conscience Act. This bill will grant lawful permanent residence to 
writer and philosopher Wei Jingsheng, one of the most heroic 
individuals the international human rights community has known. I 
particularly want to mention Senators Hatch, DeWine, Hutchinson, 
Brownback, Helms, Roth, and Wellstone, all of whom cosponsored the 
bill.
  Mr. President, Wei has spent literally decades struggling against an 
oppressive Chinese government. He has called for freedom and democracy 
through speeches, writings, and as a prominent participant in the 
Democracy Wall movement. His dedication to the principles we hold dear, 
and on which our Nation was founded, brought him 15 years of torture 
and imprisonment at the hands of the Chinese communist regime. 
Seriously ill, Wei was released only after great international public 
outcry. Now essentially exiled, he lives in the United States on a 
temporary visa and cannot return to China without facing further 
imprisonment.
  By granting Wei permanent residence, Mr. President, we will show that 
America stands by those who are willing to stand up for the principles 
we cherish. We also will help Wei in his continuing fight for freedom 
and democracy in China.
  I commend my colleagues for sending a strong signal about America's 
commitment to human rights, human freedom, and the dignity of the 
individual. I yield the floor.
  The committee substitute was agreed to.
  The bill (S. 2476), as amended, was considered, read the third time, 
and passed.
  The title was amended so as to read: ``For the relief of Wei 
Jingsheng.''.

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