============================================
FROM: Roy Beck
DATE: 7 p.m. Wednesday, 19dec01
============================================

One giant accomplishment down and a few more to go:

The House just passed the Visa Tracking bill WITHOUT ANY OPPOSITION!

AND WITHOUT A SECTION 245(I) MINI-AMNESTY.

It happened so fast and in such a whirlwind that it is difficult to put it in the proper celebratory perspective. Let's start by saying this is the most meaningful thing that has been done domestically in response to Sep. 11. Here's the lineup of things that have to happen this week for a successful end of the session:

1. House pass visa tracking bill (DONE)

2. Senate pass visa tracking bill (possible on Thursday)

3. President sign visa tracking bill

4. House pass final spending bills WITHOUT Section 245(i) (crossing our fingers on Defense and Foreign Operations)

5. Senate pass final spending bills WITHOUT Section 245(i) (ditto)

As you see, it's one down and four to go.

===============================================
HOW THIS FITS IN WITH THE OVERALL PLAN
FOR A MORE SECURE FUTURE FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
================================================

We at NumbersUSA believe (similarly to the plan of several other organizations) that the future quality of life and physical safety of the American people is dependent upon these building blocks in our immigration system:

1. A system that properly screens, identifies and tracks every foreign national who enters the country.

2. A system that deters most people who would become illegal aliens by aggressive detection and removal of illegal aliens.

3. A major reduction in total numbers of foreign nationals added to the country each year, not only by reducing illegal migration but also great reductions in the number of new legal entrants back toward a more traditional level.

The visa tracking bill (HR3525) probably does about 80% of what is needed legislatively to fulfill #1. Obviously, most of what needs to be done is still to fight for. But this is a major step forward after nothing but losses the last five years.

===================================
WHERE WE'LL WORK IN 2002 TO ENSURE
THAT THIS BILL MAKES A DIFFERENCE
===================================

If this legislation moves into law this week, we will have three major things to do next year to ensure that this effort actually produces good things for the American people:

A. Ensure proper funding for all the pieces of this.

B. Provide constant oversight and publicity to ensure that the INS and other government agencies stay on the timetables in the bill.

C. Work for smaller legislative changes to fill in the blanks and amplify the bill being passed this week.

==================================
WHAT THIS BILL DOES
==================================

As you know, our system of visas is a joke that is absolutely callous in its disregard for the interests and safety of Americans. We generally have little idea who is coming into the country, what they do when they get here and whether they ever leave. No wonder we have 3-4 million visa overstay illegal aliens in this country.

This bill provides many of the prime building blocks to remedy the situation:

* requires every visa to be "smart" with a bio-metric and machine-readable

* requires visa-waiver countries (such as England and Germany through which terrorists love to pass) to have bio-metric and machine-readable passports. (people from there don't have to get visas and can just use their passports)

* finishes the entry-exit system so that everybody crossing the border gets entered into a computer and the computer notifies authorities when people have violated their visas. (The one very big exception is that people with Canadian drivers licenses and who claim to be coming to the U.S. on temporary visas, don't have to have bio-metrics. This was inserted at the last minute by Rep. Conyers at the request of the open-northern-borders lobby. This is a point to work on next year.)

* all of the visa rules apply to tourists, students, H-1B workers and other temp workers and any other visa holders. Students have special requirements about colleges reporting their arrival, their departure and their bad grades.

* requires INS to integrate all its data systems so each part of the agency knows what the others know about aliens

* requires INS, other federal law enforcement and State Department to share their data so each is aware of violators (we lost out on creating a fully integrated centralized data system; what was passed goes a long way, though; embassies should know when an applicant is a former illegal alien who is barred from entry)

* authorizes (but doesn't appropriate) lots of extra money for INS, State Department to carry out these things.

* includes deadlines for all actions

Friends, that list is an absolutely amazing new set of tools to fight illegal immigration in this country. Most of them have been known to be necessary for years and years, but the pro-illegal lobby would not allow them to even be considered.

A truly marvelous Christmas joy list of actions the last few weeks, and especially days, has allowed this holiday miracle a chance to happen. That includes the grassroots work of all of you, some wonderful professionals tirelessly working the Hill, advertising campaigns, and the nurturing of dynamic and courageous new leadership among the Members.

This bill's list of tools that couldn't even be discussed before Sep. 11 -- and even a month ago -- suddenly seemed inevitable on the House floor. Not one person dared speak against the tools for fear of being seen as pro-loopholes and pro-insecurity. All the open-borders Members could do is praise the bill and complain that it didn't include Section 245(i).

Congratulations to each of you. Thanks for not giving up. Thanks for continuing the pressure the rest of the week.

-- ROY