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News
from Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin
For Immediate Release
Contact: Russ Levsen, 202-226-4449
Chip Weiskotten, 202-226-8553
HOUSE
PASSES HERSETH SANDLIN-GOODLATTE AMENDMENT TO ELIMINATE FUNDING FOR
IMMIGRANT VISA LOTTERY
Amendment
to Ensure National Security Included in Appropriations Bill
June 22,
2007, Washington, D.C. –
The U.S. House of Representatives last night passed an amendment introduced
by Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (D- S.D.) and Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA)
to stop taxpayer money from funding the Visa Lottery program. This bipartisan
amendment was included as part of H.R. 2764, the State and Foreign Operations
Appropriations Act for FY2008, and would eliminate funding for this
controversial program that annually grants 50,000 visas, allowing a
random selection of alien nationals to live permanently in the United
States.
Rep. Herseth Sandlin said,
“National security is too important to allow institutional randomness
at our borders. Eliminating the Visa Lottery will remove an unnecessary
and illogical measure of uncertainty from the immigration process. The
Visa Lottery sanctions an irresponsible loophole in our immigration
process. This common sense change will make our nation safer.”
“The Visa Lottery system
poses a serious national security threat. Under the program, each successful
applicant is chosen at random and given the status of permanent resident
based on pure luck,” Rep. Goodlatte said. “Usually, immigrant visas
are issued to foreign nationals who have an existing connection with
a family member lawfully residing in the United States or with a U.S.
employer. These types of relationships help to ensure that immigrants
entering the country have a stake in our nation’s continued success,
and have needed skills to contribute to our nation’s economy. However,
under the Visa Lottery program, visas are awarded to immigrants at random
without meeting such criteria.”
The Visa Lottery
program is also wrought with fraud, and has spawned a cottage industry
featuring sponsors who falsely promise success to applicants in exchange
for money. Ill-informed foreign nationals are often willing to pay top
dollar for the ‘guarantee’ of lawful permanent resident status in the
U.S. The Visa Lottery actually discriminates against law-abiding citizens
of a number of countries including Mexico, the Philippines, Canada and
the United Kingdom who are prohibited from participation in the Visa
Lottery because their countries have sent high numbers of immigrants
to the U.S.
Rep. Herseth Sandlin
and Rep. Goodlatte led a similar effort in the 109th Congress to pass
legislation eliminating the Visa Lottery out of the House as part of
the House immigration bill; however, the legislation stalled in the
Senate. The State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Act for FY2008
will be referred to a Conference Committee with the Senate.
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Congresswoman
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin serves South Dakota in the U.S. House of Representatives.
She is a member of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of moderate Democrats
committed to fiscal discipline and strong national security, and is
co-chair of the Rural Working Group, which is dedicated to raising the
profile of issues important to rural America. She also serves on three
committees vital to South Dakota’s interests: Agriculture, Veterans’
Affairs and Natural Resources. In the 110th Congress, Rep. Herseth Sandlin
was appointed to serve on the Select Committee on Energy Independence
and Global Warming.
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