Political Quotes

“I strongly endorse tight immigration controls and strict visa policies to ensure that illegal aliens and criminal activity do not cross our nation's borders. At the same time, we must recognize the economic importance of tourism in this country and ensure that legitimate foreign travelers are not penalized by an overwhelmed consular service. To that end, I am asking the State Department to report to Congress on a regular basis the status of visa backlogs at our embassies worldwide and to conduct a study on whether the appropriate resources are being dedicated to the consular service. Tourism is a $473 billion dollar business in the United States and our country's second largest employer, behind the health care industry. We bring in more tourists to the U.S. than we send overseas, creating a $26 billion dollar trade surplus, equal in size to the car and auto parts trade deficit with Japan. By the year 2007, less than ten years away, the World Tourism Organization predicts the U.S. tourism market will double to nearly $885 billion dollars. We must make certain our consular services and visa procedures are streamlined, improved, and protective of national security interests in order to capitalize on the growing international tourism market.”