[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 11636]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  HONORING JAMES A. WILLIAMS, DIRECTOR, US-VISIT PROGRAM AT THE U.S. 
                    DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. LOUISE McINTOSH SLAUGHTER

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 15, 2006

  Ms. SLAUGHTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the accomplishments of 
James (Jim) Williams, Director of the Department of Homeland Security's 
US-VISIT program. After a strong tenure heading up US-VISIT, Jim has 
agreed to take on new challenges as Commissioner of the Federal 
Acquisition Service in the General Services Administration.
  Jim is a selfless public servant, and has been an effective leader at 
the Department of Homeland Security. US-VISIT is a continuum of 
security measures that keep America's doors open and our Nation secure. 
US-VISIT begins overseas, at the U.S. consular offices issuing visas, 
where visitors' biometrics are collected and checked against a database 
of known criminals and suspected terrorists. When the visitor arrives 
at the port of entry, US-VISIT use the same biometrics to verify the 
person at the port is the same person who received the visa.
  Jim understands that strong security measures, when done right, keep 
the Nation secure and open to legitimate travelers and tourists. He has 
had the vision and follow-through to oversee the installation of 
biometric entry procedures at 154 land border ports of entry and at 
airports and seaports with international arrivals. In turn, US-VISIT 
has processed nearly 60 million visitors to date, and denied entry to 
more than 1,100 criminals and immigration violators. At the same time, 
US-VISIT has not affected wait times at the border and in some 
instances has actually reduced inspection times. These accomplishments 
have been appropriately recognized by the ten members of the 9/11 
Commission, who gave US-VISIT the highest grade on their final report 
card.
  Thanks in large part to Jim and the team he has assembled, we now 
have 21st century tools to address our emerging security challenges. 
These tools are allowing the U.S. to deal more effectively with threats 
of terrorism, while keeping us competitive in the global economy. I 
know that Jim will be missed at US-VISIT. I have enjoyed working with 
him over the past 2 years, and would like to wish him well as he takes 
on new challenges at the General Services Administration.

                          ____________________