HIV Immigration Ban Repeal Passes Through Congress
The HIV immigration ban has passed through Congress and moved one step closer to removal.
The House has voted 303 to 115 to reauthorize the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program, a presidential initiative to provide almost $50 billion to global HIV/AIDS programs. Bill H.R. 5501 contains a provision to repeal language contained within the Immigration and Naturalization Act that makes HIV-positive immigrants inadmissible to the United States.
HIV-positive visitors and immigrants received support in today’s debate from Rep. Barbara Lee (D-California) who spoke out to remove this “unjust and discriminatory statutory ban.” Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Washington) also appealed to eliminate the immigration ban that keeps professionals from entering the U.S.
Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) did not share Lee and McDermott’s views. Smith believes that getting rid of the ban would “remove a safeguard that protects Americans.” He quoted statistics from the Congressional Budget office, which estimates that removal of the ban would cost the government $83 million over the next 10 years. The PEPFAR bill, however, requires the U.S. Department of State to raise the cost of a visitor’s visa by $1 from 2010-12 and by $2 in the years 2013-2018, which is expected to fund the extra costs.
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FLA) stated during her remarks that if the bill was passed, they could "have it on the President's desk by tomorrow and signed by next week." President Bush is expected to sign the bill without delay.
Comments
What do you expect from this Congress and this President? Send $50 billion to Africa for AIDS and then import people from across the world with AIDS so that we can pay the bill.
Disgusting!!!
I think that at least people who lived and worked full time for several years in the USA with a temporary visa should be allowed to stay permanenently at the moment that they ask for the green card. I was a tenure track university professor with a PH. D. for four years in the USA with an H1B visa who obtained tenure and promotion in April 2004.
One month later I went to the US consulate in my country to obtain a permanent visa and I resulted HIV positive. The green card was denied and my only choice was to resign and go back to my country. Fortunately, I was able to have back my former position in the university that I had left to come and work in the U. S. I can survive but my career was seriously compromised. Other people might not be so “lucky” to find another decent job so easily when they are forced to go back to their country after so many years.