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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release September 28, 1999

September 24, 1999

MEMORANDUM FOR THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

SUBJECT: Delegation of Authority Under Sections 212(f) and

215(a)(1) of the Immigration and Nationality Act

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including sections 212(f) and 215(a)(1) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended (8 U.S.C. 1182(f) and 1185(a)(1)), and in light of Proclamation 4865 of September 29, 1981, I hereby delegate to the Attorney General the authority to:

     (a) Maintain custody, at any location she deems appropriate, and
     conduct any screening she deems appropriate in her unreviewable
     discretion, of any undocumented person she has reason to believe 
     is seeking to enter the United States and who is encountered in a
     vessel interdicted on the high seas through December 31, 2000; and

     (b) Undertake any other appropriate actions with respect to such
     aliens permitted by law.

With respect to the functions delegated by this order, all actions taken after April 16, 1999, for or on behalf of the President that would have been valid if taken pursuant to this memorandum are ratified.

This memorandum is not intended to create, and should not be construed to create, any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, legally enforceable by any party against the United States, its agencies or instrumentalities, officers, employees, or any other person, or to require any procedures to determine whether a person is a refugee.

You are authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.

WILLIAM J. CLINTON

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