Rep. Bilirakis Demands Answers on Qaddafi Visa

Press Release

After it was revealed that Libyan President Muammar Qaddafi's son, Khamis, had been issued a visa by the U.S. Department of State, Rep. Gus Bilirakis (FL-09) is demanding answers from Secretary Hillary Clinton and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano about why he was allowed into the country.

"It's extremely troubling that the U.S. government would grant a visa to the son of such a despicable individual," said Bilirakis, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response and Communications and member of the Foreign Affairs Committee. "This raises very legitimate concerns about the security of our visa program."

Khamis Qaddafi abruptly left the U.S. and returned to Libya in February to lead the Khamis Brigade, a notorious special forces unit that has been described as "one of the most active in terms of attacking innocent people."

On March 28, President Obama addressed the nation, saying, "for more than four decades, the Libyan people have been ruled by a tyrant -- Muammar Qaddafi. He has denied his people freedom, exploited their wealth, murdered opponents at home and abroad, and terrorized innocent people around the World -- including Americans who were killed by Libyan agents."

"Given the harsh words our President has about the Qaddafi regime, who would find it appropriate to grant a member of that family entry into our country?" Bilirakis said.

In March 2011, Bilirakis introduced the Student Visa Security Improvement Act, which will improve the background checks conducted on student visa applicants from high-risk areas and enhance America's ability to ensure that foreign students are abiding by the terms of their visas once in the U.S.

In 2009, President Obama signed into law the Fiscal Year 2010 Department of Homeland Security Act, which included an initiative Bilirakis sponsored to enhance our nation's visa screening capabilities overseas to keep those who may be threats to our country out of the United States.

"In a post-9/11 world in which terrorists have exploited the loopholes in our visa screening and monitoring process to commit unspeakable acts, the federal government should protect its citizens against foreign and domestic threats," Bilirakis said. "One way to do that is through more vigilance regarding who is allowed entry into our country."

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