STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS |
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Senator Dianne Feinstein
Congressional Record: 116th Congress
14 March 2019
By Mrs. FEINSTEIN:
S. 796. A bill for the relief of Ruben Mkoian and Asmik Karapetian;
to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise to reintroduce private relief
legislation in the 116th Congress on behalf of Ruben Mkoian and Asmik
Karapetian. The Mkoian family has been living in Fresno, California,
for over 20 years. I continue to believe this family deserves Congress'
special consideration for such an extraordinary form of relief as a
private bill.
The Mkoian family is originally from Armenia. They decided to leave
Armenia for the United States in the early 1990s, following several
incidents in which the family experienced harassment, vandalism and
threats to their well-being.
In Armenia, Ruben worked as a police sergeant on vehicle licensing.
At one point, he was offered a bribe to register stolen vehicles, which
he refused and reported to his superior, the police chief. He later
learned that a co-worker had registered the vehicles at the request of
the same chief.
After Ruben reported the bribe offer to illegally register vehicles
and said he'd call the police, his family store was vandalized and he
received threatening phone calls telling him to keep quiet. A bottle of
gasoline was thrown into his family's residence, burning it to the
ground. In April 1992, several men entered the family store and
assaulted Ruben, hospitalizing him for 22 days.
Ruben, Asmik, and their son Arthur, who was 3 years old at the time,
left Armenia and entered the United States on visitor visas. They
applied for political asylum that same year on the
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grounds that they would be subject to physical attacks if returned to
Armenia. It took 16 years for their case to be finalized, with the
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals denying their asylum case in January
2008.
At this time, Ruben and Asmik have exhausted every option to obtain
immigration relief in the United States. It would be a terrible shame
to remove this family from the United States and to separate them from
their son Arsen, who is 20 years old and a U.S. citizen. The Mkoians
have worked hard to build a place for their family in California and
are an integral part of their community.
The family attends St. Paul Armenian Apostolic Church in Fresno. They
do charity work to send medical equipment to Armenia. Ruben works as a
driver for Uber. He previously worked as a manager at a car wash in
Fresno and as a truck driver for a California trucking company that
described him as ``trustworthy,'' ``knowledgeable,'' and an asset to
the company. Asmik has worked as a medical assistant the past 6 years
at the Fresno Shield Medical Center.
Reflecting their contributions to their community, Representatives
George Radanovich (R-CA) and Jim Costa (D-CA) strongly supported this
family's ability to remain in the United States. When I first
introduced a private bill for the Mkoian family, I received more than
200 letters of support and dozens of calls of support from friends and
community members, attesting to the positive impact that this family
has had in Fresno, California.
I believe that this case warrants our compassion. I respectfully ask
my colleagues to support this private legislation on behalf of the
Mkoian family.
Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be
printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be
printed in the Record, as follows:
S. 796
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. PERMANENT RESIDENT STATUS FOR RUBEN MKOIAN AND
ASMIK KARAPETIAN.
(a) In General.--Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (b) of
section 201 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1151), Ruben Mkoian and Asmik Karapetian shall each be
eligible for the issuance of an immigrant visa or for
adjustment of status to that of an alien lawfully admitted
for permanent residence upon filing an application for
issuance of an immigrant visa under section 204 of such Act
(8 U.S.C. 1154) or for adjustment of status to lawful
permanent resident.
(b) Adjustment of Status.--If Ruben Mkoian or Asmik
Karapetian enters the United States before the filing
deadline specified in subsection (c), Ruben Mkoian or Asmik
Karapetian, as appropriate, shall be considered to have
entered and remained lawfully in the United States and shall
be eligible for adjustment of status under section 245 of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1255) as of the
date of the enactment of this Act.
(c) Application and Payment of Fees.--Subsections (a) and
(b) shall apply only if the application for the issuance of
an immigrant visa or the application for adjustment of status
is filed with appropriate fees not later than two years after
the date of the enactment of this Act.
(d) Reduction of Immigrant Visa Numbers.--Upon granting an
immigrant visa or permanent resident status to Ruben Mkoian
and Asmik Karapetian, the Secretary of State shall instruct
the proper officer to reduce by two, during the current or
next following fiscal year--
(1) the total number of immigrant visas that are made
available to natives of the country of birth of Ruben Mkoian
and Asmik Karapetian under section 203(a) of the Immigration
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1153(a)); or
(2) if applicable, the total number of immigrant visas that
are made available to natives of the country of birth of
Ruben Mkoian and Asmik Karapetian under section 202(e) of
such Act (8 U.S.C. 1152(e)).
(e) PAYGO.--The budgetary effects of this Act, for the
purpose of complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of
2010, shall be determined by reference to the latest
statement titled ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation''
for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional
Record by the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee,
provided that such statement has been submitted prior to the
vote on passage.