Grothman Questions Obama Admin. Officials on Denying Visas to Countries that Refuse Accepting Deported Nationals

Press Release

Congressman Glenn Grothman (R-Glenbeulah) today questioned Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Consular Affairs at the U.S. Department of State Michele Thoren Bond and Deputy Director, Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Daniel Ragsdale at a House Oversight and Government Reform hearing about denying visas to countries that refuse to take back their deported nationals.

Excerpts of Congressman Grothman's questions below:

"We'll focus on you, Ambassador Bond. I mean, there's something going on in the background here that we're not talking about. But I'd like to talk about it. You've been appointed in this position by President Obama, and there's been a theme, I think, through a variety of hearings we've had, in which there doesn't seem a lot of sincerity in enforcing our immigration laws at all around here. Whether it's people just coming across the border and being allowed to go back, whether it's not deporting people who commit crimes, whatever. To what degree do you believe President Obama is aware you folks are not using the means at your disposal to remove the dangerous criminals back to the countries from which they came?

"Does President Obama know about this at all? Do you guys report to him? Have you heard anything from the White House?

"And those ways haven't included denying visas, or trying to prevent foreign aid from going to those countries? I guess what you're saying is President Obama is aware of this situation, right?

"So about a year ago, somebody said we ought to raise the issue. But has has President Obama ever come down on you guys, and said, hey, we have a bunch of criminals in this country. We have the ability to deny visas, we have the ability to withhold foreign aid, let's do something about it. Or is President Obama just came across a year ago and said maybe we ought to look at this sometime and see what we can do? What was the message?

"Has president Obama threatened with removing any of his appointees who haven't followed through on this?

"Does the process include withholding foreign aid or withholding visas?

"Has it ever happened, under your tenure?

"Ok, well we've only got about, what, 5 months to go in this administration. If he's going to impose it, he better do it quickly. And otherwise, I think, the American people have to make sure the next president has an entirely different view of things."

Background:

In 2013, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released from detention more than 36,000 convicted criminal immigrants into communities all across America. Their charges ranged from sexual assault to homicide. More than 5,000 of these non-citizens who entered the country illegally have gone on to commit additional crimes. Additionally, ICE has released some criminal aliens at least twice. One such offender was released in Wisconsin.

Since 2013, tens of thousands more of these deportable aliens have been released from jail or prison into our communities because their home countries refuse to take them back.

In compliance with the Supreme Court's decision in Zadvydas v. Davis, if a home country refuses to take back a criminal immigrant after 180 days, the alien must be released. This is true even if he or she is violent and/or does not have any legal right to remain in the U.S.

The Immigrant and Nationality Act (INA) forces countries to accept their nationals who have been ordered removed from the U.S. by discontinuing granting visas to a resistant country until it has accepted its national.

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