[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 56 (Monday, April 7, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2180-S2181]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DENYING ADMISSION TO THE UNITED STATES
Mr. CRUZ. Mr. President, the nomination of Hamid Aboutalebi to be the
Ambassador from the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations is a
deliberate and unambiguous insult to the United States. Mr. Aboutalebi
was an active participant in the terrorist group that took 52 Americans
hostage on November 4, 1979, and held them for 444 days. There are no
circumstances under which the United States should grant such a person
a visa, and our immediate concern is to prevent Mr. Aboutalebi from
ever setting foot on American soil.
But this nomination is not an isolated incident that is taking place
in a vacuum. It is part of Iran's clear and consistent pattern of
virulent anti-Americanism that has defined their foreign policy since
1979.
Given the larger strategic threat to the United States and our allies
represented by Iran's nuclear ambitions, this is not the moment for
diplomatic niceties. We need to send Tehran an equally clear message:
The Senate is not going to ignore this most recent insult but, rather,
is going to give our President the authority to affirmatively reject
it. Unanimous passage of the bill I have introduced, which specifies
that engaging in terrorism against the United States is a basis to deny
a foreign U.N. ambassador a visa to enter our country, will do just
that, while also signaling to other unfriendly nations that we see this
kind of offensive behavior for what it is, and we will not tolerate it.
I wish in particular to thank Senator Coats, who is a cosponsor of
this bill, as well as Senator Graham, Senator McCain, and Senator Kirk
for their leadership. I also wish to thank my friends across the aisle
and, in particular, Senator Schumer, Senator Leahy, and Senator
Menendez for working together with my office to reach bipartisan
agreement. I am proud to join with all of my colleagues on both sides
of the aisle in this effort, and I am encouraged that we can all come
together in a bipartisan manner on this national security issue that
transcends political parties. I am encouraged that the Senate can speak
unanimously in a bipartisan voice defending the interests of our
Nation.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee on the
Judiciary be discharged from further consideration of S. 2195 and the
Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
Without objection, it is so ordered.
The clerk will report the bill by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A bill (S. 2195) to deny admission to the United States to
any representative to the United Nations who is engaged in
espionage activities against the United States, poses a
threat to United States national security interests, or has
engaged in a terrorist activity against the United States.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.
Mr. CRUZ. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Cruz
amendment at the desk be agreed to, the bill be read a third time and
passed, the Cruz amendment to the title be agreed to, and the motions
to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The amendment (No. 2960) was agreed to, as follows:
On page 2, line 4, insert ``been found to have been'' after
``has''.
The bill (S. 2195), as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a
third reading, was read the third time, and passed, as follows:
S. 2195
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. VISA LIMITATION FOR CERTAIN REPRESENTATIVES TO THE
UNITED NATIONS.
Section 407(a) of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act,
Fiscal Years 1990 and 1991 (8 U.S.C. 1102 note) is amended--
(1) by striking ``such individual has been found to have
been engaged in espionage activities'' and inserting the
following: ``such individual--
[[Page S2181]]
``(1) has been found to have been engaged in espionage
activities or a terrorist activity (as defined in section
212(a)(3)(B)(iii) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8
U.S.C. 1182(a)(3)(B)(iii)))''; and
(2) by striking ``allies and may pose'' and inserting the
following: ``allies; and
``(2) may pose''.
The amendment (No. 2961) was agreed to, as follows:
=========================== NOTE ===========================
On page S2181, April 7, 2014, in the first column, the following
language appears: The amendment (No. 2361) was agreed to . . .
The online Record has been corrected to read: The amendment (No,
2961) was agreed to . . .
========================= END NOTE =========================
Amend the title so as to read: ``A bill to deny admission
to the United States to any representative to the United
Nations who has been found to have been engaged in espionage
activities or a terrorist activity against the United States
and poses a threat to United States national security
interests.''.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from New York.
Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I know my colleagues and good friends are
waiting. I will be very brief. I agree with the Senator from Texas that
it was totally inappropriate that Mr. Aboutalebi was nominated in the
first place. He was a member of the Muslim Student Followers of the
Imam's Line, the group that seized the embassy on November 4, 1979, and
held American staff hostage until 1981. There were New Yorkers I knew
among that group.
While I believe that Mr. Aboutalebi's actions certainly would have
made him ineligible for a visa under the Immigration and Nationality
Act, I believe it is worth it to clear up all doubt about our ability
to deny him a visa under U.S. law by passing this bill.
I am fully aware that now is a sensitive time in our negotiations
with Iran regarding the future of the nuclear program. Nevertheless, it
is exactly for this reason that Iran's leadership should not have
unnecessarily escalated tensions with the United States by seeking to
appoint an ambassador to the United Nations who materially aided
terrorists who abducted American citizens. We should not further
aggravate the pain of the individuals and families who suffered through
the hostage crisis by allowing this individual to have a visa and
diplomatic immunity within the United States.
So I support this legislation. I am glad it has moved forward in a
bipartisan way. I thank my colleagues from both sides of the aisle for
supporting this legislation.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from South Carolina.
Mr. GRAHAM. Mr. President, I wish to recognize that this is a very
important moment for the Senate to speak with one voice at a time when
I think it matters to former hostages and their families. We heard you,
Senator Cruz heard you, I heard you, and our friends on the other side
heard you. So it is good to know that the Senate is listening to people
who have suffered in the past from this regime and Iran.
To Senators Leahy, Menendez, and Schumer, thank you very much for
working with Senator Cruz so we could reach this moment. I will do
everything I can to get the House to act accordingly.
At the end of the day, it is very important that the Iranians not
mistake how we view them. We have had our differences about Syria. We
have had foreign policy disputes between the administration and
Republicans, and sometimes Democrats, regarding how to move forward in
the world. But this is a unique moment when all 100 Senators support
the following statement to the Iranians: We remember who you are. We
remember what you have done to our country and to our fellow citizens,
and we are not going to forget. If you are listening in Iran, we have a
very clear-eyed view in the Senate of who we are dealing with. So this
is a very appropriate time to speak with one voice. I hope the Iranians
will understand that we are resolved, Republicans and Democrats, to
make sure they never possess a nuclear weapon.
With that, I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Ohio.
Mr. PORTMAN. Mr. President, as a cosponsor of this legislation, I
applaud my colleagues who are here tonight. I think this is the right
message to send. It is a sensitive time, so therefore we need to stand
and be counted. I hope the House will act swiftly on this legislation.
____________________