Dana Rohrabacher: “Included in this continuing resolution is a 3-week extension of a temporary provision of the Immigration and Nationality…”

“Included in this continuing resolution is a 3-week extension of a temporary provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act known as section 245(i). This provision was snuck into the law 3 years ago. If we do not permit it to expire, it will destroy the integrity of the legal immigration process into the United States and nullify the Illegal Immigration Reform Act that we just passed last year. Three years ago the Democrat leadership engaged in an undemocratic tactic to get this provision into law. At that time I begged the Committee on Rules not to waive points of order against putting into our immigration law section 245(i), or what I called the Kennedy loophole. This provision, establishing a 3-year period in which illegal aliens could become legal while staying in the United States, was not considered separately by either House of the Congress, but instead was inserted during conference negotiations on the Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and related agencies appropriations bill. To date, there has only been one time in which either Chamber has voted on this provision. That was when the House adopted my amendment last year to repeal 245(i) a year before it was scheduled to expire on September 30, 1997.”