Congressional Vote Recommenda2on: Vote AGAINST Expanding the Unnecessary Suspicionless Surveillance of Immigrants

ci2zens by expanding the warrantless surveillance of foreign-born persons seeking visas or other permission to travel to the United States, crea2ng a new form of “extreme veSng” that could have significant ramifica2ons for the immigra2on system. [...] Currently, the federal government is experiencing backlogs in visa processing due to the con2nuing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the resul2ng loss of fee-generated revenue, and post-pandemic increases in travel to the United Sates. [...] 1 The provisions in both bills are materially the same and require the A6orney General, in consulta:on with the Director of Na:onal Intelligence, to ensure that procedures enable the veAng of “non-United States persons who are being processed for travel to the United States using terms that do not qualify as United States person query terms under this Act.” See H. [...] For example, it could be interpreted to apply to individuals residing in the United States on nonimmigrant visas, including temporary workers and interna2onal students, who travel outside the country for work or personal reasons and are merely seeking to return to the United States. [...] This is because, under the Immigra2on and Na2o nality Act, the Department of State may temporarily refuse to issue a visa pending further inves2ga2on, which is known as “administra2ve processing.” Immigra2on prac22oners refer to it as a “black hole” because the reasoning behind the delay is ogen obscured, and its length is uncertain.