US President George W. Bush ordered that public officials guilty of corruption be barred entry to the United States.  

The president announced the move, with immediate effect, in a proclamation released by the White House on the sidelines of the Summit of the Americas.

Bush said he was suspending "entry into the United States, as immigrants or nonimmigrants, of certain persons who have committed, participated in, or are beneficiaries of corruption in the performance of public functions."

The decision affects people whose actions have had "serious adverse effects on international activity of US businesses, US foreign assistance goals, the security of the United States against transnational crime and terrorism, or the stability of democratic institutions and nations."

To Suspend Entry as Immigrants or Nonimmigrants of Persons Engaged in or Benefiting From Corruption

by the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

In light of the importance of legitimate and transparent public institutions to world stability, peace, and development, and the serious negative effects that corruption of public institutions has on the United States efforts to promote security and to strengthen democratic institutions and free market systems, and in light of the importance to the United States and the international community of fighting corruption, as evidenced by the Third Global Forum on Fighting Corruption and Safeguarding Integrity and other intergovernmental efforts, I have determined that it is in the interests of the United States to take action to restrict the international travel and to suspend the entry into the United States, as immigrants or nonimmigrants, of certain persons who have committed, participated in, or are beneficiaries of corruption in the performance of public functions where that corruption has serious adverse effects on international activity of US businesses, US foreign assistance goals, the security of the United States against transnational crime and terrorism, or the stability of democratic institutions and nations.

Now, therefore, I, George W. Bush, president of the United States of America, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, including section 212(f) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, 8 USC. 1182(f), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, hereby find that the unrestricted immigrant and nonimmigrant entry into the United States of persons described in section 1 of this proclamation would, except as provided in sections 2 and 3 of this proclamation, be detrimental to the interests of the United States.

I therefore hereby proclaim that:

Sec. 1. The entry into the United States, as immigrants or nonimmigrants, of the following persons is hereby suspended:

(a) Public officials or former public officials whose solicitation or acceptance of any article of monetary value, or other benefit, in exchange for any act or omission in the performance of their public functions has or had serious adverse effects on the national interests of the United States.

(b) Persons whose provision of or offer to provide any article of monetary value or other benefit to any public official in exchange for any act or omission in the performance of such official's public functions has or had serious adverse effects on the national interests of the United States.

(c) Public officials or former public officials whose misappropriation of public funds or interference with the judicial, electoral, or other public processes has or had serious adverse effects on the national interests of the United States.

(d) The spouses, children, and dependent household members of persons described in paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) above, who are beneficiaries of any articles of monetary value or other benefits obtained by such persons.

Sec. 2. Section 1 of this proclamation shall not apply with respect to any person otherwise covered by section 1 where entry of the person into the United States would not be contrary to the interests of the United States.

Sec. 3. Persons covered by sections 1 and 2 of this proclamation shall be identified by the Secretary of State or the Secretary's designee, in his or her sole discretion, pursuant to such standards and procedures as the Secretary may establish.

Sec. 4. For purposes of this proclamation, "serious adverse effects on the national interests of the United States" means serious adverse effects on the international economic activity of US businesses, US foreign assistance goals, the security of the United States against transnational crime and terrorism, or the stability of democratic institutions and nations.

Sec. 5. Nothing in this proclamation shall be construed to derogate from United States Government obligations under applicable international agreements.

Sec. 6. The Secretary of State shall have responsibility for implementing this proclamation pursuant to such procedures as the Secretary may, in the Secretary's discretion, establish.

Sec. 7. This proclamation is effective immediately.

Sec. 8. This proclamation is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party, against the United States, its departments, agencies, or other entities, its officers or employees, or any other person.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twelfth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-eighth.

George W. Bush

(China Daily January 14, 2004)