National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022

Floor Speech

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Ms. PLASKETT. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of this amendment, and I yield myself 3 minutes.

Madam Speaker, I first want to give a little bit of a history lesson and some information to my colleagues here.

The Virgin Islands and the territories, many of whom are outside of the customs zone, when one comes to the U.S. Virgin Islands in order to get to the mainland, you must go through Customs and Border Protection presenting passport, et cetera, as you would in a foreign country.

My amendment responds to the need for an expedited nonimmigrant visitor visa program in the U.S. Virgin Islands that is now currently available to other U.S. territories outside of the U.S. customs zone in the Pacific, which would aid the Virgin Islands in allowing more visitors. Specifically, the Virgin Islands is seeking authority to extend the special nonimmigrant visitor visa waiver program that is currently available in Guam and Northern Marianas.

Adding the Virgin Islands to this existing nonimmigrant visitor visa waiver program would allow the Department of Homeland Security to consider approving visa-less entry into the Virgin Islands up to and limited to 45 days primarily for residents of neighboring Caribbean countries. This would better enable the Virgin Islands to compete economically with other islands and nations in the Caribbean.

It would apply solely to the Virgin Islands, and because we are outside of the customs zone by law, like other U.S. territories, it would not allow visa-less entry into any other part of the United States.

It would allow individuals from other Caribbean islands to come into the Virgin Islands on an expedited visa process, which would lead to increased tourism, greater opportunities to host international events, and support our small business and medical facilities.

For example, the Virgin Islands annually hosts numerous yacht shows and regattas, which could yield additional economic support, except for the fact that we have a longer entry for our neighbors to come into the territories.

Similarly, our young people cannot compete with our neighboring islands which are much closer to us than the United States. The U.S. Virgin Islands is over 1,000 miles to Florida, as opposed to the Bahamas, which is only 180 miles to Miami. Cuba is only 300 miles to Miami. We are way down the Antilles chain.

This amendment would remain reasonably limited in scope to the Caribbean community and other countries approved by the Department of Homeland Security.

The provision also allows the Secretary of Homeland Security to suspend waivers to any individual or countries if they pose a risk to law enforcement or security interests of the United States or at the secretary's own discretion.

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Ms. PLASKETT. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I find it very interesting the concern that my colleague has for the U.S. Virgin Islands when we don't get the economic support from that side of the aisle that would allow us to mitigate the need for opening our shores up to our Caribbean neighbors.

As you can find out, we have received technical assistance from the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Chief Counsel, as well as the Office of Field Operations, in the process of developing this visa program. As I am sure my colleague is aware, under the auspices of this program, it does authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security to exclude or remove a country from the visa waiver program list if the Secretary determines inclusion would represent a threat to the welfare, safety, or security of the United States or its territories and its commonwealth.

I find the use of birthright tourism in Saipan, if you would look at the data, is only a very small percentage of the overall visitors and that the related costs are outweighed by the extreme tourist and economic benefits to the Pacific.

I also find it interesting that he is concerned about what is happening on the border at this time, considering that most of the individuals who are coming through that border are much closer, coming from countries, including that of Haiti, which are much closer to Florida than they are to the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The thought that individuals would take the time and the resources to come to an island nation where they would have to go through Customs and Border Protection to move into the mainland is in itself a discussion that negates what he is concerned with.

Additionally, as for drugs, yes, the Virgin Islands does have a problem with drug transportation, which is going through the U.S. Postal Service. I don't think any of these visitors would be the individuals being put into the mail and going through the U.S. Postal Service.

Madam Speaker, I ask for adoption of this amendment. It is germane, and it is related and worked through from Homeland Security.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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