A new House Republican majority pledged in 2010 to strengthen visa security to protect against terrorists.
"We will require the Department of Homeland Security to review all visa applications at high-risk consular posts and prevent aliens from attempting to avoid deportation after having their visas revoked,” their Pledge to America said.
H.R. 1741, the Secure Visas Act, got on a House calendar, but never made it to the full House for a vote.
The bill, which Republicans offered in an effort to fulfill their promise, would have authorized the secretary of Homeland Security and the secretary of state to, among other things:
• Refuse or revoke visas to aliens if in the security or foreign policy interests of the United States.
• Require the secretary of Homeland Security to review visa applications before adjudication.
• Provide for the immediate dissemination of visa revocation information.
Since the bill didn't become law, we rate this Promise Broken.
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← Back to Strengthen visa security
Visa security bill didn’t reach full House vote
Our Sources
Email interview with David Popp, spokesman, House Republican Conference, Nov. 15, 2012
Speaker.gov, "Keeping the Pledge to America: How Republicans Have Fought to Create Jobs, Cut Spending, & Change the Way Congress Does Business," Sept. 20, 2012
Library of Congress' Thomas, "Secure Visas Act," accessed Nov. 20, 2012