Doug Bereuter: “this Member rises in strong opposition to specific portions of H.R. 1885, the 245(i) Extension Act. As you know, a House…”

“this Member rises in strong opposition to specific portions of H.R. 1885, the 245(i) Extension Act. As you know, a House amendment to H.R. 1885 added the text of H.R. 3525, the Enhanced Border Security and Visa Entry Reform Act, that the House passed by voice vote on December 19, 2001. While this Member strongly supports the provisions of H.R. 3525 that would include establishing a government-wide electronic data base on persons with terrorist ties, installing a new high-tech visa system to reduce fraud and counterfeiting, increasing the number of full-time Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) employees and requiring a system to electronically track all foreign visa students in the United States; this Member, however, remains strongly opposed to the original provisions of H.R. 1885 regarding the extension of Section 245(i). This Member's opposition relates to the provisions whereby Section 245(i) allows illegal aliens to buy legal permanent residence for $1,000. Ironically, on September 11, 2001, the House was scheduled to debate H.R. 1885 on the Floor.”