Washington, D.C. --- U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) today voiced his grave disappointment with the U.S. Department of State's decision to force visa holders of E, H, I, L, and O visas to return to their country of origin in order to renew their visas, and urged Secretary of State Colin Powell to reverse this ill-advised decision.

The New Jersey congressman, co-founder of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, sent a letter today to Secretary of State Colin Powell stating that under the new rule, approximately 50,000 visa holders would be disadvantaged, 46-percent of them are people of Indian origin.

"I strongly urge you to reverse this rule and work towards creating a balanced visa processing system that encourages visa holders who contribute to our national security, economy, and global leadership to enter and stay in the U.S.," Pallone wrote in his letter to Secretary Powell.

Following 9/11, there was much talk about the failures of U.S. immigration policy. Pallone said that he understands that some immigration reform was necessary, however, in many instances the State Department has simply gone too far. Pallone said this latest decision simply adds to bureaucratic delays without increasing security.

"In particular, this rule is inconsistent with recent U.S.-India policy that has encouraged cooperation in military, scientific, and business fields," Pallone continued. "By enacting this policy, we are moving backwards at a time when we should be moving forward. We cannot afford to create such barriers to these visa holders since it would have a devastating effect on American society."

Pallone voiced concern that while our nation has done a good job of attracting some of the brightest from around the world to work and study in the U.S., that job becomes more difficult as we tighten our immigration policies. The New Jersey congressman pointed to the decline in visa applications by international students and scholars as an example of the negative effects that bad immigration policies can have on our nation.

"Unfortunately, the U.S. is creating extremely unbalanced visa policies that are discouraging immigration and forcing us to lose the best and brightest minds," Pallone wrote. "I am deeply concerned about not only the undue burden that will be placed on these individuals, but am also concerned about the future of our society without the contributions of this important segment of society."