The opening statement at the hearing focused on the continuing problem of criminal aliens in the United States and noted that the Immigration Act of 1990 requires the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) to detain all aliens convicted of aggravated felonies during the time between their release from prison and their deportation. The opening statement also pointed out that INS detention facilities have not been able to keep up with the growing number of deportable criminal aliens and that individual States have also experienced an explosion in the number of criminal aliens. Testimony was provided by congressional representatives from California, Nevada, Florida, New York, and Illinois and by various Federal agency officials. Letters and statements relevant to alien criminality were also presented at the hearing. The 14 bills under consideration at the hearing provide various approaches to addressing the criminal alien problem, and the text of these bills is included. Appendixes contain additional information submitted for the record by representatives of the American Bar Association and the American Immigration Lawyers Association and by individuals responding to questions on criminal aliens.