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103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 2041

To provide that members of terrorist organizations are ineligible to receive

visas for admission to the United States, to improve the State Department Visa Lookout System procedures, and for other purposes.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MAY 6, 1993

Ms. SNOWE (for herself, Mr. GILMAN, and Mr. MCCOLLUM) introduced the

following bill; which was referred jointly to the Committees on the Judiciary and Foreign Affairs

A BILL

To provide that members of terrorist organizations are ineligible to receive visas for admission to the United States,

to improve the State Department Visa Lookout System

procedures, and for other purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Terrorist Interdiction

5 Act of 1993’’.

6 SEC. 2. AUTOMATED VISA LOOKOUT SYSTEM.

7 Not later than 6 months after the date of the enact8 ment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall implement
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1 an upgrade of all overseas visa lookout operations to com2 puterized systems with automated multiple-name search

3 capabilities.

4 SEC. 3. NATIONAL CRIME INFORMATION CENTER.

5 For the purpose of access to the National Crime In6 formation Center and other Federal Bureau of Investiga7 tion criminal records, with respect to functions involving

8 the processing of visas and passports and for other immi9 gration-related purposes the Department of State shall be

10 considered a law enforcement agency.

11 SEC. 4. MEMBERSHIP IN A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION AS A

12 BASIS FOR EXCLUSION FROM THE UNITED

13 STATES UNDER THE IMMIGRATION AND NA14 TIONALITY ACT.

15 Section 212(a)(3)(B) of the Immigration and Nation16 ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(3)(B)) is amended—

17 (1) in clause (i)(II) by inserting ‘‘or’’ at the

18 end;

19 (2) by adding after clause (i)(II) the following:

20 ‘‘(III) is a member of an organization

21 that engages in terrorist activity or who

22 actively supports or advocates terrorist ac23 tivity,’’;

24 (3) by adding after clause (iii) the following:
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1 ‘‘(iv) TERRORIST ORGANIZATION DE2 FINED.—As used in this Act, the term ‘terrorist

3 organization’ means an organization which com4 mits terrorist activity as determined by the At5 torney General, in consultation with the Sec6 retary of State.’’.

7 SEC. 5. PROCESSING OF VISAS FOR ADMISSION TO THE

8 UNITED STATES.

9 (a) VISA LOOKOUT SYSTEM CHECK.—

10 (1) Whenever a United States consular official

11 issues a visa for admission to the United States,

12 that official shall certify, in writing, that a check of

13 the Automated Visa Lookout System, or any other

14 system or list which maintains information about the

15 excludability of aliens under the Immigration and

16 Nationality Act, has been made and that there is no

17 basis under such system for the exclusion of such

18 alien.

19 (2) If a consular official issues a visa to an

20 alien for admission to the United States and the

21 alien was named on the Automated Visa Lookout

22 System as excludable from the United States at the

23 time of the consular officer’s review and issuance of

24 such visa, a notation shall be entered into the per25 sonnel file of such consular officer and such infor-
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1 mation shall be considered as a serious negative fac2 tor in the officer’s annual performance evaluation.

3 (b) ACCOUNTABILITY REVIEW BOARD.—In any case

4 where a serious loss of life or property in the United

5 States involves the issuance of a visa to an alien listed

6 on the Automated Visa Lookout System, or any other sys7 tem or list which maintains information about the exclud8 ability of aliens under the Immigration and Nationality

9 Act, the Secretary of State shall convene an Accountability

10 Review Board under the authority of title III of the Omni11 bus Diplomatic Security and Antiterrorism Act of 1986.

12 SEC. 6. CONGRESSIONAL REPORT.

13 The Secretary of State shall submit to the Congress

14 a report for each of the fiscal years 1994 and 1995 which

15 details the number and circumstances of each visa denial

16 due to the amendment made by section 4.

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