[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 60 (Tuesday, May 16, 2000)]
[House]
[Pages H3054-H3055]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     CERTAIN PERSIAN GULF EVACUEES

  The Clerk called the bill (H.R. 3646) for the relief of certain 
Persian Gulf evacuees.
  There being no objection, the Clerk read the bill as follows:

                               H.R. 3646

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS FOR CERTAIN PERSIAN GULF 
                   EVACUEES.

       (a) In General.--The Attorney General shall adjust the 
     status of each alien referred to in subsection (b) to that of 
     an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence if the 
     alien--
       (1) applies for such adjustment;
       (2) has been physically present in the United States for at 
     least 1 year and is physically present in the United States 
     on the date the application for such adjustment is filed;
       (3) is admissible to the United States as an immigrant, 
     except as provided in subsection (c); and
       (4) pays a fee (determined by the Attorney General) for the 
     processing of such application.
       (b) Aliens Eligible for Adjustment of Status.--The benefits 
     provided in subsection (a) shall apply to the following 
     aliens:
       (1) Waddah Al-Zireeni, Enas Al-Zireeni, and Anwaar Al-
     Zireeni.
       (2) Salah Mohamed Abu Eljibat, Ghada Mohamed Abu Eljibat, 
     and Tareq Salah Abu Eljibat.
       (3) Jehad Mustafa, Amal Mustafa, and Raed Mustafa.
       (4) Shaher M. Abed and Laila Abed.
       (5) Zaid H. Khan and Nadira P. Khan.
       (6) Rawhi M. Abu Tabanja, Basima Fareed Abu Tabanja, and 
     Mohammed Rawhi Abu Tabanja.
       (7) Reuben P. D'Silva, Anne P. D'Silva, Natasha Andrew 
     Collette D'Silva, and Agnes D'Silva.

[[Page H3055]]

       (8) Abbas I. Bhikhapurawala, Nafisa Bhikhapurawala, and 
     Tasnim Bhikhapurawala.
       (9) Fayez Sharif Ezzir, Abeer Muharram Ezzir, Sharif Fayez 
     Ezzir, and Mohammed Fayez Ezzir.
       (10) Issam Musleh, Nadia Khader, and Duaa Musleh.
       (11) Ahmad Mohammad Khalil, Mona Khalil, and Sally Khalil.
       (12) Husam Al-Khadrah and Kathleen Al-Khadrah.
       (13) Nawal M. Hajjawi.
       (14) Isam S. Naser and Samar I. Naser.
       (15) Amalia Arsua.
       (16) Feras Taha, Bernardina Lopez-Taha, and Yousef Taha.
       (17) Mahmood M. Alessa and Nadia Helmi Abusoud.
       (18) Emad R. Jawwad.
       (19) Mohammed Ata Alawamleh, Zainab Abueljebain, and Nizar 
     Alawamleh.
       (20) Yacoub Ibrahim and Wisam Ibrahim.
       (21) Tareq S. Shehadah and Inas S. Shehadah.
       (22) Basim A. Al-Ali and Nawal B. Al-Ali.
       (23) Hael Basheer Atari and Hanaa Al Moghrabi.
       (24) Fahim N. Mahmoud, Firnal Mahmoud, Alla Mahmoud, and 
     Ahmad Mahmoud.
       (25) Tareq A. Attari.
       (26) Azmi A. Mukahal, Wafa Mukahal, Yasmin A. Mukahal, and 
     Ahmad A. Mukahal.
       (27) Nabil Ishaq El-Hawwash, Amal Nabil El Hawwash, and 
     Ishaq Nabil El-Hawwash.
       (28) Samir Ghalayini, Ismat F. Abujaber, and Wasef 
     Ghalayini.
       (29) Iman Mallah, Rana Mallah, and Mohanned Mallah.
       (30) Mohsen Mahmoud and Alia Mahmoud.
       (31) Nijad Abdelrahman, Najwa Yousef Abdelrahman, and 
     Faisal Abdelrahman.
       (32) Nezam Mahdawi, Sohad Mahdawi, and Bassam Mahdawi.
       (33) Khalid S. Mahmoud and Fawziah Mahmoud.
       (34) Wael I. Saymeh, Zatelhimma N. Al Sahafie, Duaa W. 
     Saymeh, and Ahmad W. Saymeh.
       (35) Ahmed Mohammed Jawdat Anis Naji.
       (36) Sesinando P. Suaverdez, Cynthia Paguio Suaverdez, 
     Maria Cristina Sylvia P. Suaverdez, and Sesinando Paguio 
     Suaverdez II.
       (37) Thabet Said, Hanan Said, and Yasmin Said.
       (38) Hani Salem, Manal Salem, Tasnim Salem, and Suleiman 
     Salem.
       (39) Ihsan Mohammed Adwan, Hanan Mohammed Adwan, Maha 
     Adwan, Nada M. Adwan, Reem Adwan, and Lina A. Adwan.
       (40) Ziyad Al Ajjouri and Dima Al Ajjouri.
       (41) Essam K. Taha.
       (42) Salwa S. Beshay, Alexan L. Basta, Rehan Basta, and 
     Sherif Basta.
       (43) Latifa Hussin, Sameer Hussin, Anas Hussin, Ahmed 
     Hussin, Ayman Hussin, and Assma Hussin.
       (44) Fadia H. Shaath, Bader Abdul Azium Shaath, Dalia B. 
     Shaath, Abdul Azim Bader Shaath, Farah Bader Shaath, and 
     Rawan Bader Shaath.
       (45) Bassam Barqawi and Amal Barqawi.
       (46) Nabil Abdel Raoof Maswadeh.
       (47) Nizam I. Wattar and Mohamed Ihssan Wattar.
       (48) Wail F. Shbib and Ektimal Shbib.
       (49) Reem Rushdi Salman and Rasha Talat Salman.
       (50) Khalil A. Awadalla and Eman K. Awadalla.
       (51) Nabil A. Alyadak, Majeda Sheta, Iman Alyadak, and Wafa 
     Alyadak.
       (52) Mohammed A. Ariqat, Hitaf M. Ariqat, Ruba Ariqat, 
     Renia Ariqat, and Reham Ariqat.
       (53) Hazem A. Al-Masri and Maha A. Al-Masri.
       (54) Tawfiq M. Al-Taher and Rola T. Al-Taher.
       (55) Nadeem Mirza.
       (c) Waiver of Certain Grounds for Inadmissibility.--The 
     provisions of paragraphs (4), (5), and (7)(A) of section 
     212(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act shall not apply 
     to adjustment of status under this Act.
       (d) Offset in Number of Visas Available.--Upon each 
     granting to an alien of the status of having been lawfully 
     admitted for permanent residence under this section, the 
     Secretary of State shall instruct the proper officer to 
     reduce by 1, during the current or next following fiscal 
     year, the total number of immigrant visas that are made 
     available to natives of the country of the alien's birth 
     under section 203(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act 
     or, if applicable, the total number of immigrant visas that 
     are made available to natives of the country of the alien's 
     birth under section 202(e) of such Act.
       (e) Denial of Preferential Immigration Treatment for 
     Certain Relatives.--The natural parents, brothers, and 
     sisters of an individual referred to in subsection (b) shall 
     not, by virtue of such relationship, be accorded any right, 
     privilege, or status under the Immigration and Nationality 
     Act.

  Mr. RAHALL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3646, a 
bill I introduced as a Private Relief Bill on behalf of 54 families and 
individuals seeking permanent resident status in the United States. 
These families, known as Persian Gulf Evacuees, have lived and worked 
in this country since being evacuated out of Kuwait, at the behest of 
the United States government, just prior to U.S. Military Intervention 
in the Iraqi invasion of that country.
  More than 2,000 individuals, many of whom have U.S. citizen children, 
by order of then President George Bush, were evacuated to keep them out 
of harms way when the United States intervened militarily in Kuwait to 
drive out Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction.
  Many of the evacuees, prior to evacuation, had provided a safe-haven 
for Americans caught unaware when Iraq invaded Kuwait, and hid them in 
their homes against Iraqi retaliation.
  Once here, the majority of the 2,000 evacuees adjusted their own 
status, often through asylum procedures. These 54 families remained in 
limbo, facing deportation and loss of work permits in the United 
States.
  The Persian Gulf Evacuees, better known as PGE's, are well educated, 
mostly professional individuals perfectly capable of working and 
supporting themselves here in the U.S. without becoming wards of any 
State in which they have settled. They are English-speaking, and this 
is especially true of their U.S. Citizen children.
  These families were extensively investigated by both the INS and the 
FBI, and have been cleared of any wrong-doing since entering the United 
States, and none has been found to be members of any subversive groups.
  I am deeply pleased to have been their champion since the 103rd 
Congress.
  I take this opportunity to extend my most profound thanks and 
appreciation to my friend, Immigration Subcommittee Chairman Lamar 
Smith. I am grateful for his good counsel and his able guidance over 
these past few years as we worked to bring this bill or similar 
legislation to enactment. My thanks go also to his capable staff for 
their long-term, hard work on behalf of the Persian Gulf Evacuees.
  I also extend my sincere thanks to Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry 
Hyde, my good friend and a distinguished leader on immigration matters 
in the House, for his action to report H.R. 3646 favorably from his 
Committee, paving the way for passage of this vitally important 
legislation.
  I salute the Persian Gulf Evacuees, for their patience throughout the 
years it has taken to bring this bill to enactment. The nationwide 
teamwork among the PGE's worked remarkably well. The PGE Team Leaders 
not only keep my office advised of any problems they faced, while 
awaiting legal permanent status in their adopted country, such as work 
permits so that they could remain self-sufficient and not in need of 
public assistance, but helped each family keep track of the legislative 
process.
  They did an outstanding job, and I congratulate them not only for all 
their work, but as mentioned above, for their excellent patience 
throughout.
  And finally, I wish to thank Dr. Hala Maksoud, of the American-Arab 
Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), and her staff, for bringing this 
matter to my attention during the 103rd Congress, and for their solid 
support for the legislation throughout the years of waiting.
  I believe our action today makes this new, challenging century in 
America one that will be remembered by these 54 families for its 
compassionate understanding, and is an acknowledgment of the duty we 
have to discharge our responsibility toward those who come to America 
at the behest of our own Government.
  We have, with the able assistance of Subcommittee Chairman Lamar 
Smith and his fine staff, responded to their economic needs by ensuring 
the continual approval of work permits, and by keeping them free of INS 
deportation actions until our action today could be brought to 
fruition.
  It was not an easy task, and knowing this makes us even more grateful 
for the assistance we have received.
  I am confident that the PGE's will continue, as they have during the 
10 year period they have been in this country, to work hard, to remain 
good citizens, and to make important contributions to the American 
socio-economic structure as legal, permanent residents of this great 
country.
  The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, was read 
the third time, and passed, and a motion to reconsider was laid on the 
table.

                          ____________________