Patrick Leahy: “in this time of tragedy, there are a few things Congress can do to provide immediate assistance. Passage of this…”

“in this time of tragedy, there are a few things Congress can do to provide immediate assistance. Passage of this legislation is one of them. This bill restores the `S' visa, which Congress created as part of the 1994 Violent Crime Control Act. The visa allows foreign nationals with critical information about criminal cases, especially events of terrorism, to remain in the United States legally for the purpose of cooperating with law enforcement. An application for the visa must be made by a Federal, State, or local law enforcement agency or by a court. The provision authorizing the `S' visa expired yesterday, so without this legislation law enforcement will be unable to take advantage of it. The State and Justice Departments have requested that we reinstitute the `S' visa. I urge the Senate to grant this request and to give law enforcement the support it needs in this area. This is a limited program, but it serves an important purpose. The number of `S' visas granted in a year is limited to 200 for those providing information about crimes and an additional 50 specifically devoted to those who can provide information about terrorism. Our law enforcement officials face a terrible responsibility in seeking out the perpetrators of these evil acts. I am pleased to cosponsor this legislation, and hope that it helps in this search.”