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Congressman Joe Walsh (IL-8) asks to give visa to Narendra Modi

Published on 13 April, 2012
Congressman Joe Walsh (IL-8) asks to give visa to Narendra Modi

 The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton

Secretary

U.S. Department of State

2201 C Street, NW

Washington, D.C. 20520

 

Dear Secretary Clinton:

I write to you today to request that you consider granting a diplomatic visa to Chief Minister Narendra Modi of the Indian State of Gujarat.

In March of 2005, Mr. Modi was denied a diplomatic visa to visit the United States. A State Department official said at the time that he was forbidden entry to visit the U.S. under “Section 212 (a)(2)(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.” This section of the law makes foreign government officials ineligible for a visa should the State Department deem them responsible for or directly carrying out severe violations of religious freedom. It should be noted that when reading this section of law further, it specifically states that these violations cannot have occurred 24-months prior to application for a visa.

The communal riots that occurred in the State of Gujarat that took place in 2002 are undeniably tragic and resulted in many deaths of innocent Indians. This region has worked for years now to bring to justice those that committed serious crimes and many strides have been seen towards reconciliation among Muslims and Hindus in the region. Ten years have passed since the violence in Gujarat and much progress has been made. Mr. Modi has been recognized across the world for establishing Gujarat as the most business-friendly state in India and is widely believed to be a serious contender for the 2014 election for Indian Prime Minister. It is time the State Department reconsiders permitting Mr. Modi into the United States.

I appreciate you looking into this matter and hope you will take full consideration of this request to reconsider granting Mr. Modi entry into the United States.

Sincerely,

 

JOE WALSH
Member of Congress    

 

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