[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12249]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO JIM WILLIAMS

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. PETER T. KING

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 21, 2006

  Mr. KING of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend the 
service of Jim Williams, the Director of the US-VISIT program at the 
Department of Homeland Security. Mr. Williams is leaving his position 
in the coming weeks to become the Commissioner of the Federal 
Acquisition Service at the General Services Administration. I want to 
thank him for his years of public service and his leadership at the 
Department of Homeland Security.
  Since May 2003, Mr. Williams has managed a team to create and 
maintain the US-VISIT program, a critical border management program 
that collects point-of-entry and exit information on visitors traveling 
to and from the United States. The program uses biometric identifiers 
and digital photographs to aid legitimate tourists, students and 
business travelers entering the United States, while making it more 
difficult for those who might do harm to the United States or enter and 
stay in the country illegally. Though the job of completing the full 
installation of US-VISIT program is still underway, so far, in two and 
a half years, it has processed nearly 60 million visitors to date and 
denied entry to more than 1,100 criminals and immigration violators at 
our ports of entry, reduced wait times at several land border ports of 
entry, and provided information to U.S. Immigration and Customs 
Enforcement leading to the apprehension of more than 200 aliens who 
overstayed their visas.
  Mr. Williams has been a model public servant and leader. He has left 
a tremendous imprint on the US-VISIT program, and on the many people 
who work with him at US-VISIT and across the government.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge you and our colleagues to join me in a salute to 
Jim Williams and the talented team at US-VISIT.

                          ____________________