Rep. Joshua Eilberg (D.Pa.) has disclosed that he is considering taking legal action against Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger and other State Department officials for refusing to take action on the Issuance of illegal visas to Arab students in the United States. Eilberg said he has instructed attorneys of the House Judiciary subcommittee on immigration, citizenship and international law to prepare such action. He is the subcommittee chairman.
In addition, he said he has asked the U.S. Attorney General to advise him on what other action can be taken by the Department of Justice to force the State Department to stop this practice. In a further step, Eilberg has asked the Commissioner of the Immigration and Naturalization Service to order immigration officers not to permit students with illegally issued visas to enter the country.
Eilberg said that for 20 years the State Department has been issuing “official” A-2 visas to students from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait instead of the normal and more restrictive F visas which are given to students of all other countries. The A-2 classification, he noted. “Is clearly diplomatic status for an official of a foreign government.” The U.S. government, Eilberg noted, has no control over the approximately 5000 students from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in the U.S. and does not know where they are or what they are doing or if they are even registered in a school.
Unlike the other 80,000 foreign students, they do not have to attend class regularly nor do they have to maintain a passing average. In addition, Eilberg said, these students do not have to file the required forms which would permit the immigration service to monitor their activities.
“I have been trying for months to get the State Department to stop awarding these students status which should be given to only government officials,” Eilberg said. “The Department has refused to take action and it appears that the single possibility left is going to the courts for action.” He said “State Department officials have admitted that what they are doing is a clear violation of the Immigration and Naturalization Act but they are afraid to stop because the people and governments involved would be ‘offended.'”
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