I’d now like to call up S.1754, which Senator Leahy and I introduced yesterday. In summary, the bill enhances the ability of American law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute international crimes such as terrorism, money laundering, and drug trafficking. The bill also aims to increase our cooperation with other countries in their efforts to attack such crimes. Finally, the bill makes clear that aliens who come to our country, after committing acts of torture elsewhere, are not welcome.

Among other things, the bill establishes a procedure whereby, in certain circumstances, the Attorney General can request that another country temporarily transfer an inmate to the United States when that inmate faces charges here. At the conclusion of the proceedings in the United States, the Attorney General would then return the inmate to the transferring country. The bill also contains a reciprocating provision that would allow the Attorney General to transfer inmates in the United States to face charges in other countries. Under these provisions, we would no longer need to wait several years for the inmate to finish his sentence in a foreign country before proceeding with the charges here, and our prosecutors will no longer have to deal with stale evidence and faded witness memories.

A related section of the bill provides for the temporary transfer of inmate witnesses. Under this provision the Attorney General can transfer an inmate in United States custody to another country where the inmate is need to provide testimony. This provision aids our ability to help our neighbors and encourages them to be similarly generous in making their inmate witnesses available to our law enforcement authorities.

Another provision in the bill further increases our cooperation with international crime fighting efforts by facilitating the Attorney General’s ability to respond to the requests of foreign countries for assistance. The bill accomplishes this by streamlining the procedures governing the Attorney General’s response to MLAT requests.

The bill also shuts the courthouse door to those who flee the jurisdiction of the United States. Under the bill, an individual who evades the jurisdiction of the United States will be barred from using our courts to contest a civil forfeiture action.

Finally, we have incorporated into the bill a provision concerning aliens who have committed acts of torture, which parallels a bill previously introduced by Senator Leahy. The provision makes aliens who have committed any such acts abroad ineligible to enter or remain in the United States.