Letter to the Honorable Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security

The Honorable Janet Napolitano
Secretary of Homeland Security
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Washington, DC 20528

Dear Secretary Napolitano,

I am writing to express my concern regarding the characterization of Taiwan on the I-94 nonimmigrant arrival-departure form and in the Global Entry Program.

It has recently come to my attention that when Taiwanese citizens enter the United States, the I-94 documents they are issued by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) lists their country of citizenship as "China (Taiwan)." Similarly, in the application process for CBP's Global Entry Program, the CBP system refers to Taiwan as "Taiwan, Province of China."

It has been a long-standing U.S. policy that the U.S. government refers to Taiwan as "Taiwan." This designation is employed by the Department of State, the Department of Defense and other federal agencies. I would respectfully request that the Department of Homeland Security, and all of its constituent agencies, adopt the same terminology.

Many Taiwanese citizens travel across our borders every day. These individuals should not be required to sign their name under an inaccurate statement in an official government document. I appreciate your timely consideration of this matter and for your prompt efforts to correct this error.

Sincerely,

HOWARD L. BERMAN
Ranking Member

CC: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Source