legislation
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309 rows where congress = 114 and policy_area = "Immigration" sorted by introduced_date descending
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| bill_id | congress | bill_type | bill_number | title | policy_area | introduced_date ▲ | latest_action_date | latest_action_text | origin_chamber | sponsor_name | sponsor_state | sponsor_party | sponsor_bioguide_id | cosponsor_count | summary_text | update_date | url |
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| 114-hr-6532 | 114 | hr | 6532 | Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-12-20 | 2016-12-20 | Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. | House | Rep. Ellison, Keith [D-MN-5] | MN | D | E000288 | 2 | Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 2016 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security to adjust to permanent resident status a qualifying Liberian national who: (1) has been continuously present in the United States between January 1, 2013, through the date of status adjustment application; or (2) is the spouse, child, or unmarried son or daughter of such an alien. Adjustment applications must be filed not later than one year after the date of enactment of this bill. | 2023-01-11T13:33:53Z | |
| 114-s-3542 | 114 | s | 3542 | Bar Removal of Individuals who Dream and Grow our Economy Act | Immigration | 2016-12-09 | 2016-12-09 | Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S7034) | Senate | Sen. Graham, Lindsey [R-SC] | SC | R | G000359 | 5 | Bar Removal of Individuals who Dream and Grow our Economy Act or the BRIDGE Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS): (1) shall grant a three-year provisional protected presence to a qualifying alien, (2) may not remove the alien from the United States unless such protected presence is rescinded, and (3) shall provide such alien with employment authorization. An alien is eligible for such protected presence and employment authorization if the alien: (1) was born after June 15, 1981; (2) entered the United States before attaining 16 years of age; (3) continuously resided in the United States since June 15, 2007; (4) was physically but unlawfully present in the United States on June 15; (5) on the date the alien files an application the alien is present in the United States, is enrolled in school or in an education program assisting students in obtaining a high school diploma, has graduated or obtained a certificate of completion from high school or a general educational development certificate, or is an honorably discharged U.S. Coast Guard or Armed Forces veteran; (6) has not been convicted of a felony, a significant misdemeanor, or three or more misdemeanors not occurring on the same date and not arising out of the same act; and (7) does not otherwise pose a threat to national security or a threat to public safety. The bill: (1) provides for confidentiality of application information, with certain national security and law enforcement exceptions; and (2) sets forth the criteria under which DHS may rescind such protected presence. An alien granted protected presence is not considered to be unlawfully present in the United States during such period. An alien must be at least 15 years old, unless in removal proceedings, to apply for protected presence. DHS may provide for an application fee and for fee exemptions. DHS may not: (1) remove an alien who appears prima facie eligible for protected presence while the alien's app… | 2023-01-11T13:34:43Z | |
| 114-s-3546 | 114 | s | 3546 | SAFE Act | Immigration | 2016-12-09 | 2016-12-09 | Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. | Senate | Sen. Flake, Jeff [R-AZ] | AZ | R | F000444 | 0 | Securing Active and Fair Enforcement Act or the SAFE Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS): (1) shall grant a three-year provisional protected presence to a qualifying alien, (2) may not remove the alien from the United States unless such protected presence is rescinded, and (3) shall provide such alien with employment authorization. An alien is eligible for such protected presence and employment authorization if the alien: (1) was born after June 15, 1981; (2) entered the United States before attaining 16 years of age; (3) continuously resided in the United States since June 15, 2007; (4) was physically but unlawfully present in the United States on June 15; (5) on the date the alien files an application the alien is present in the United States, is enrolled in school or in an education program assisting students in obtaining a high school diploma, has graduated or obtained a certificate of completion from high school or a general educational development certificate, or is an honorably discharged U.S. Coast Guard or Armed Forces veteran; (6) has not been convicted of a felony, a significant misdemeanor, or three or more misdemeanors not occurring on the same date and not arising out of the same act; and (7) does not otherwise pose a threat to national security or a threat to public safety. The bill: (1) provides for confidentiality of application information, with certain national security and law enforcement exceptions; and (2) sets forth the criteria under which DHS may rescind protected presence. An alien granted protected presence is not considered to be unlawfully present in the United States during such period. An alien must be at least 15 years old, unless in removal proceedings, to apply for protected presence. DHS may provide for an application fee and for fee exemptions. DHS may not: (1) remove an alien who appears prima facie eligible for protected presence while the alien's application is pending, or (2) … | 2023-01-11T13:34:42Z | |
| 114-hr-6495 | 114 | hr | 6495 | Ensure Access to DACA Act | Immigration | 2016-12-08 | 2016-12-22 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Veasey, Marc A. [D-TX-33] | TX | D | V000131 | 1 | Ensure Access to DACA Act This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security to provide an alien who received a grant of deferred action under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and who filed a DACA renewal request within a specified time frame with a short-term, interim grant of deferred action and employment authorization if there is a service disruption that causes a delay in reaching a final decision that lasts for at last one week. Such interim renewal shall be effective until a final decision is made. | 2023-01-11T13:33:54Z | |
| 114-hr-6510 | 114 | hr | 6510 | Save the Children Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-12-08 | 2016-12-22 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Honda, Michael M. [D-CA-17] | CA | D | H001034 | 0 | Save the Children Act of 2016 This bill directs the Departments of State, Justice, Homeland Security (DHS), and Health and Human Services to establish the Save the Children program to grant nonimmigrant visas to certain young minor children from Syria between the ages of 3 and 10 to enter and remain in the United States until there is a sustained reduction of civil war violence in Syria and a substantial reduction in the numbers of newly displaced Syria inhabitants. The bill establishes in the DHS Office of Refugee Resettlement a Coordinator of the Save the Children program. The program shall terminate six months after the State Department certifies that there is a sustained reduction of civil war violence in Syria and a substantial reduction in the numbers of newly displaced Syria inhabitants. The program provides for the admission of not more than 5,000 children in the first year and 10,000 children for each of the second and third years. The bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish a nonimmigrant W-visa for an alien who: (1) is resident in or was born in Syria but is currently a displaced person or refugee living in another country, (2) is between 3 and 10 years old, and (3) has been approved by the State Department to temporarily reside in the United States. Program aliens may remain in the United States until the State Department certifies that there is a sustained reduction of civil war violence in Syria and a substantial reduction in the numbers of newly displaced Syria inhabitants, with a six-month grace period for reunification efforts. | 2023-01-11T13:33:54Z | |
| 114-hr-6519 | 114 | hr | 6519 | Safeguarding Sanctuary Cities Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-12-08 | 2016-12-22 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Quigley, Mike [D-IL-5] | IL | D | Q000023 | 0 | Safeguarding Sanctuary Cities Act of 2016 This bill prohibits reducing or withholding federal financial assistance that a state or local government would otherwise receive because such state or local government has in place any policy that limits or restricts compliance with a detainer. A "detainer" is defined as any order or request by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for a state or local official to: temporarily hold a person until such person may be taken into federal custody, transport such a person for transfer to federal custody, or notify DHS prior to releasing such person. | 2023-01-11T13:33:54Z | |
| 114-hr-6456 | 114 | hr | 6456 | End the Backlog Act | Immigration | 2016-12-07 | 2016-12-12 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security. | House | Rep. Veasey, Marc A. [D-TX-33] | TX | D | V000131 | 0 | End the Backlog Act This bill requires that if the total amount appropriated for the Executive Office for Immigration Review does not exceed $485.3 million for FY2017, the total amount authorized to be appropriated for FY2018 and each of the three succeeding fiscal years for: (1) U.S. Customs and Border Protection is $13,219,051; and (2) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is $6,151,579. | 2023-01-11T13:33:56Z | |
| 114-hr-6468 | 114 | hr | 6468 | FILCA of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-12-07 | 2016-12-22 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Harris, Andy [R-MD-1] | MD | R | H001052 | 34 | Federal Immigration Law Compliance Act of 2016 or the FILCA of 2016 This bill prohibits an entity (including a university, a state political subdivision, or other person) that receives federal funds in a fiscal year from receiving additional federal funds in that fiscal year or the succeeding fiscal year if it fails to comply with a lawful request for information or detainment of an alien made by any federal immigration officer or employee. Unobligated federal funds made available to a non-compliant entity are rescinded. A state or political subdivision that complies with a detainer is deemed to be an agent of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has authority available to DHS to take actions to comply with the detainer, and shall not be liable for such actions. DHS may issue a detainer for an alien who is in federal, state, or local custody requesting: (1) all relevant information collected pertaining to such alien and notification of his or her future release, or (2) continued detention until DHS assumes custody. DHS may request from any entity that receives federal funds other immigration-related information pertaining to an alien that is not otherwise precluded from disclosure. | 2023-01-11T13:33:55Z | |
| 114-s-3510 | 114 | s | 3510 | Attracting and Retaining Entrepreneurs Act | Immigration | 2016-12-06 | 2016-12-06 | Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. | Senate | Sen. Flake, Jeff [R-AZ] | AZ | R | F000444 | 0 | Attracting and Retaining Entrepreneurs Act This bill: (1) amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish a three-year nonimmigrant entrepreneur W-visa for an alien meeting specified investment, or job creation and revenue, requirements; and (2) establishes a $1,000 visa fee. Additional three-year periods of admission are allowed if the individual meets specified job creation and revenue or investment requirements. An individual who has not met such admission renewal requirements may be granted up to two one-year renewals if: (1) he or she has made substantial progress in meeting such criteria, and (2) such renewal is economically beneficial to the United States. The bill establishes an employment-based entrepreneur immigrant visa for an individual who: (1) has a significant ownership interest in a U.S. business entity, (2) is employed in a senior executive position at such entity, (3) submits a business plan to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and (4) had a substantial role in the founding or early-stage growth and development of such entity. The bill sets forth visa criteria, which shall include qualifying: (1) nonimmigrant U.S. residency, (2) job creation, (3) investment and revenue amounts, (4) education levels, and (5) ownership in a U.S. entity. Up to 10,000 entrepreneur immigrant visas shall be made available each fiscal year. | 2023-01-11T13:34:44Z | |
| 114-hr-6401 | 114 | hr | 6401 | Northern Mariana Islands Economic Expansion Act | Immigration | 2016-11-29 | 2016-12-07 | Received in the Senate. | House | Del. Sablan, Gregorio Kilili Camacho [D-MP-At Large] | MP | D | S001177 | 1 | (This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.) Northern Mariana Islands Economic Expansion Act (Sec. 2) This bill: (1) requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to increase the supplemental education fee charged to a prospective employer for each CNMI (Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands)-Only Transitional Worker who is issued a permit during the transition period to U.S. immigration law, (2) allows such a permit for construction occupations to be issued only to extend a permit first issued before October 1, 2015, and (3) caps the number of permits issued for such nonimmigrant workers for FY2017 at 15,000. | 2023-01-11T13:33:57Z | |
| 114-hr-6345 | 114 | hr | 6345 | TPS Reform Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-11-17 | 2016-12-05 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Brooks, Mo [R-AL-5] | AL | R | B001274 | 6 | TPS Reform Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise the criteria for designation of a foreign state as eligible to have its citizens be given temporary protected status (TPS) in the United States. Such revisions include the following: (1) such a foreign state shall be designated by an Act of Congress rather than by the Department of Justice; (2) such Act must find that an environmental disaster in such a foreign state is immediately life-threatening; (3) such Act may provide for early termination of a foreign state's designation; (4) such Act shall include an estimate of the number of a foreign state's nationals who are TPS eligible, their U.S. immigration status, and a time period for the effectiveness of the designation of not more than 18 months; and (5) an alien lacking lawful immigration status shall be ineligible for TPS. | 2023-01-11T13:34:03Z | |
| 114-s-3480 | 114 | s | 3480 | Secure Citizenship Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-11-17 | 2016-11-17 | Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. | Senate | Sen. Sasse, Ben [R-NE] | NE | R | S001197 | 0 | Secure Citizenship Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require an alien to list on his or her naturalization application such person's current legal name and date of birth and all other names used since birth. The bill requires the Department of Homeland Security, by May 31, 2017, to: (1) complete the digitization of fingerprints of aliens who were fugitives, convicted criminals, or subject to deportation orders or who had other derogatory information dating back to 1990 under the Historical Fingerprint Enrollment program; and (2) store such digitized fingerprints along with related biographical data in its Automated Biometric Identification system. | 2023-01-11T13:33:59Z | |
| 114-hr-6306 | 114 | hr | 6306 | Mark Takai Filipino Veterans Family Unification Act | Immigration | 2016-11-14 | 2016-12-05 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Gabbard, Tulsi [D-HI-2] | HI | D | G000571 | 2 | Mark Takai Filipino Veterans Family Unification Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to exempt from worldwide or numerical limitations on immigrant visas the sons and daughters of Filipino World War II veterans who were naturalized under the Immigration Act of 1990 or other specified federal law. | 2023-01-11T13:34:04Z | |
| 114-hr-6314 | 114 | hr | 6314 | Commission on the Removal of Mexican-Americans to Mexico Act | Immigration | 2016-11-14 | 2016-11-14 | Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. | House | Rep. Roybal-Allard, Lucille [D-CA-40] | CA | D | R000486 | 0 | Commission on the Removal of Mexican-Americans to Mexico This bill establishes the Commission on the Removal of Mexican-Americans to Mexico, which shall: (1) review the facts and circumstances surrounding the 1929-1941 removal of certain U.S. citizens and permanent legal residents to Mexico and the impact of such actions on such individuals, their families, and the Mexican-American community; (2) review federal, state, and local government directives that required such removal and any other related information; and (3) report its findings, conclusions, and any recommendations for legislative actions. | 2023-01-11T13:34:04Z | |
| 114-sres-598 | 114 | sres | 598 | A resolution designating October 2016 as "Filipino American History Month". | Immigration | 2016-09-29 | 2016-09-29 | Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S6276) | Senate | Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI] | HI | D | H001042 | 13 | Designates October 2016 as Filipino American History Month. Recognizes the celebration of Filipino American History Month as: a study of the advancement of Filipino Americans, and a time to renew efforts toward the research and examination of history and culture so as to provide an opportunity for all people of the United States to learn more about Filipino Americans and to appreciate their historic contributions to the United States. | 2023-01-11T13:34:05Z | |
| 114-hr-6198 | 114 | hr | 6198 | To provide that no alien may be naturalized as a citizen of the United States until such time as the Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement completes the digitization of all remaining paper-based fingerprint records for inclusion in the Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT) of the Department of Homeland Security, and for other purposes. | Immigration | 2016-09-28 | 2016-10-18 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Culberson, John Abney [R-TX-7] | TX | R | C001048 | 7 | This bill prohibits any alien from being naturalized until U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement completes the digitization of all remaining paper-based fingerprint records for inclusion in the Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). DHS shall, upon completion of such digitization and prior to naturalizing an alien who has a application pending on the date of enactment of this bill, review the alien's eligibility for naturalization using the updated IDENT. The Immigration and Nationality Act is amended to require a DHS officer or employee who has good cause to believe that a naturalized citizen has illegally or by misrepresentation procured such status to refer such case to the Department of Justice for denaturalization proceedings. | 2023-01-11T13:33:42Z | |
| 114-hr-6252 | 114 | hr | 6252 | Ending Sanctuary Cities Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-09-28 | 2016-10-21 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Grothman, Glenn [R-WI-6] | WI | R | G000576 | 0 | Ending Sanctuary Cities Act of 2016 This bill provides that a state or local government is an ineligible jurisdiction if it: (1) restricts any government entity or official from sending to or receiving from the Immigration and Naturalization Service information regarding an individual's citizenship or immigration status, (2) otherwise restricts compliance with a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) detainer, or (3) has any law or policy in effect that violates the immigration laws. DHS shall annually determine whether each state or local government is an ineligible jurisdiction that may not receive any federal financial assistance for the fiscal year following any fiscal year in which DHS makes such determination. A state or local government, and any law enforcement officer of such jurisdiction, acting in compliance with a DHS detainer shall be considered to be acting under color of federal authority for purposes of determining liability and immunity from suit in any federal or state civil action brought by an alien. The Fair Labor Standards Act is amended to make it unlawful for a state or local government to discharge or discriminate against one of its law enforcement officers because such officer has taken any action to comply with a DHS detainer. | 2023-01-11T13:33:40Z | |
| 114-hr-6256 | 114 | hr | 6256 | To provide temporary visitation to spouses of United States citizens. | Immigration | 2016-09-28 | 2016-10-21 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2] | CA | D | H001068 | 0 | This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish a non-immigrant W-visa category for an alien who: (1) is, and has been for at least 180 days, the spouse of a U.S. national or citizen; or (2) is the child of such an alien and is accompanying or following to join such alien. The bill provides that: (1) the period of authorized admission for a W-visa alien is 180 days, which may be extended for one additional 180-day period; (2) the total number of principal W-visa aliens who may be admitted during any fiscal is 5,000; (3) adjustment of such an alien to permanent resident status is prohibited; and (4) the Department of Homeland Security shall establish an expedited admissions process for W-visa aliens. | 2023-01-11T13:33:40Z | |
| 114-hr-6285 | 114 | hr | 6285 | Canadian Snowbird Visa Act | Immigration | 2016-09-28 | 2016-10-21 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Stefanik, Elise M. [R-NY-21] | NY | R | S001196 | 0 | Canadian Snowbird Visa Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize the Department of Homeland Security to admit into the United States as a nonimmigrant visitor for a period not to exceed 240 days during any single 365-day period a Canadian citizen who: (1) is at least 50 years old, (2) maintains a Canadian residence and owns a U.S. residence or has rented a U.S. accommodation for the duration of such stay, (3) is not inadmissible or deportable, (4) will not engage in employment or labor for hire in the United States, and (5) will not seek any form of assistance or benefit under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. The spouse of such person may be admitted under the same terms except that he or she is not required to separately satisfy the residence/housing requirements. The bill grants a person so admitted nonresident alien tax status. | 2023-01-11T13:33:39Z | |
| 114-hres-907 | 114 | hres | 907 | Recognizing Filipino American History Month and celebrating the history and culture of Filipino Americans and their immense contributions to the United States. | Immigration | 2016-09-28 | 2016-09-28 | Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. | House | Rep. Honda, Michael M. [D-CA-17] | CA | D | H001034 | 18 | Recognizes the celebration of Filipino American History Month as: a study of the advancement of Filipino Americans; and a time to renew efforts toward the research and examination of history and culture so as to provide an opportunity for all people of the United States to learn more about Filipino Americans, and to appreciate the historic contributions of Filipino Americans to the United States. | 2023-01-11T13:33:36Z | |
| 114-s-3439 | 114 | s | 3439 | Paperwork Reduction for Farmers Act | Immigration | 2016-09-28 | 2016-09-28 | Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. | Senate | Sen. Paul, Rand [R-KY] | KY | R | P000603 | 0 | Paperwork Reduction for Farmers Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to permit multiple employers to submit a joint petition to import nonimmigrant H-2A visa temporary agricultural workers. Upon approval of such petition, each joint employer shall be subject to the Act's H-2A provisions with respect to each alien listed in the petition. The period of authorized H-2A admission may not exceed the shorter of three years or the contract period. An employer seeking to rehire H-2A workers who previously worked for the employer as H-2A workers at any time during the most recent 12-month period may submit a simplified petition, to be developed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS), which shall include a certification that the employer maintains compliance with all applicable employment requirements. Such petitions shall be approved upon completion of applicable security screenings. An employer may apply for workers with staggered start and end dates in the same application. An employer that has received a request for evidence from the CIS may request that such evidence request be delivered in an online format. The CIS, within three days of the employer's submission of evidence, shall: (1) provide an online response indicating whether the evidence is sufficient; and (2) if the evidence is insufficient, shall provide evidence thereof and an opportunity for the employer to address the deficiencies. | 2023-01-11T13:33:30Z | |
| 114-hr-6175 | 114 | hr | 6175 | To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to facilitate the removal of aliens identified in the terrorist screening database, and for other purposes. | Immigration | 2016-09-27 | 2016-10-11 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Duncan, Jeff [R-SC-3] | SC | R | D000615 | 4 | This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to make an alien, other than a lawful permanent resident, who is identified in the terrorist screening database inadmissible or deportable on terrorist grounds. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with the unanimous concurrence of the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Director of National Intelligence, and the Department of State, may grant an individual a national security waiver to enter the United States temporarily as a nonimmigrant. An identified alien shall be ineligible for asylum, withholding or cancellation of removal, voluntary departure, adjustment of status, or acquisition of legal permanent residency through the registry provisions. DHS shall revise specified regulations implementing the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Forms of Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment to: (1) exclude identified aliens from the protection of such regulations, and (2) make such aliens ineligible for withholding or deferral of removal under INA. The bill provides that, with respect to an alien who has not been granted a waiver under this bill and who either is not lawfully admitted for permanent residence or has been granted conditional resident status: (1) DHS shall determine inadmissibility or deportability and issue an order of removal for an identified alien; and (2) in the case of an alien not issued an order of removal, DHS may determine inadmissibility or deportability and issue an order of removal based upon terrorist activity. Such expedited proceedings shall include specified protections for the alien in removal. | 2023-01-11T13:33:43Z | |
| 114-hr-6091 | 114 | hr | 6091 | Immigrant Veterans Eligibility Tracking System (I-VETS) Act | Immigration | 2016-09-21 | 2016-09-30 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Vargas, Juan [D-CA-51] | CA | D | V000130 | 7 | Immigrant Veterans Eligibility Tracking System (I-VETS) Act This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to: identify aliens, when they apply for an immigration benefit or are placed in an immigration enforcement proceeding, who are serving, or have served, as a member of a regular or reserve component of the Armed Forces on active duty or as a member of a reserve component in an active status; and annotate all DHS immigration and naturalization records relating to an identified alien to reflect such identification and afford an opportunity to track the outcomes for such aliens. | 2023-01-11T13:33:46Z | |
| 114-hr-6092 | 114 | hr | 6092 | Healthcare Opportunities for Patriots in Exile (HOPE) Act | Immigration | 2016-09-21 | 2016-09-30 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Vargas, Juan [D-CA-51] | CA | D | V000130 | 4 | Healthcare Opportunities for Patriots in Exile (HOPE) Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize the Department of Homeland Security to parole into the United States an alien veteran who: (1) is seeking temporary admission to receive health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs, and (2) resides permanently abroad after having been removed or voluntarily departed from the United States. Such parole shall not be available for an alien who is inadmissible due to a criminal conviction for: (1) a crime of violence for which the alien has served at least five years in prison, or (2) a crime that endangers U.S. national security for which the alien has served at least five years in prison. | 2023-01-11T13:33:46Z | |
| 114-hr-6097 | 114 | hr | 6097 | Immigration Courts Bail Reform Act | Immigration | 2016-09-21 | 2016-09-30 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Serrano, Jose E. [D-NY-15] | NY | D | S000248 | 37 | Immigration Courts Bail Reform Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate the minimum bond amount needed to release a detained alien. An immigration judge may review an initial custody determination for an adult alien, subject to specified rules, which include the following: the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall, within 72 hours, file the notice to appear or charging document with the appropriate immigration court and serve such notice on the detained alien; except for criminals or suspected terrorists, DHS may continue to detain an alien only if no conditions will reasonably assure the alien's appearance and the safety of any other person and the community; the Department of Justice shall ensure that an alien has the opportunity to promptly appear before an immigration judge for a custody redetermination hearing; except for criminals or suspected terrorists, an immigration judge shall review the custody determination de novo and may continue to detain the alien only if DHS demonstrates that no conditions will reasonably assure the alien's appearance and the community's safety; DHS and an immigration judge shall order an alien's release on personal recognizance or upon an unsecured appearance bond unless such release will not reasonably assure the alien's appearance or the community's safety; if DHS or an immigration judge determines that such release will not reasonably assure the alien's appearance or such safety, DHS or the immigration judge shall order the alien's release under the least restrictive conditions that will assure the alien's appearance and the community's safety; DHS or an immigration judge shall consider the alien's financial ability in determining whether to impose a bond as a condition of release; and DHS or an immigration judge may not impose a financial condition that results in an alien's detention. | 2023-01-11T13:33:46Z | |
| 114-hr-6110 | 114 | hr | 6110 | Allow State Sovereignty Upon Refugee Entry (ASSURE) Act | Immigration | 2016-09-21 | 2016-10-11 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Perry, Scott [R-PA-4] | PA | R | P000605 | 5 | Allow State Sovereignty Upon Refugee Entry (ASSURE) Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to set forth requirements for programs for domestic resettlement of, and assistance to, refugees. Before initial placement or resettlement of a refugee in a state, and before any assistance under such Act is provided to a refugee in a state, the Office of Refugee Resettlement must submit to the state legislature, and the state must enact, a plan covering that refugee, which includes: the costs to the state for housing, providing benefits to, and education of, the refugee; vaccination and health records, and the criminal history, of the refugee; any ties to a terrorist organization; whether the refugee is affiliated with groups listed as unindicted co-conspirators in the case of United States of America v. Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development; records of the refugee found in the Department of State's Consular Lookout and Support System; and records from the refugee interview conducted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. If such plan is signed into law, the state may enter contracts to carry out programs for domestic resettlement of, and assistance to, covered refugees. The state shall be reimbursed by the federal government for expenses incurred. The Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) shall ensure that every Identity History Summary provided by the FBI includes: (1) the subject's immigration or citizenship status, and (2) any violation of federal immigration laws that has been adjudicated regarding the subject. | 2023-01-11T13:33:45Z | |
| 114-s-3366 | 114 | s | 3366 | A bill to streamline the R-1 religious worker visa petition process. | Immigration | 2016-09-21 | 2016-09-21 | Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. | Senate | Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT] | UT | R | H000338 | 0 | This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit a consular officer from issuing a nonimmigrant R-visa (for a religious worker and accompanying or joining spouse or child), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from granting such status, to an alien until DHS has approved a petition filed on the alien's behalf. An eligible petitioner may file a blanket petition, in lieu of individual petitions, on behalf of aliens meeting specified requirements for blanket petition inclusion. DHS may only include in approval of a blanket petition missionary service locations for which DHS has previously conducted a site inspection in connection with an individual petition for a religious worker. A petitioner may file a petition at any time to amend the list of previously authorized missionary service locations. | 2023-01-11T13:33:33Z | |
| 114-hr-6044 | 114 | hr | 6044 | To limit the amount authorized to be appropriated to carry out chapter 2 of title IV of the Immigration and Nationality Act, relating to refugee resettlement. | Immigration | 2016-09-15 | 2016-09-27 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Graves, Sam [R-MO-6] | MO | R | G000546 | 0 | This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize a specified amount of appropriations for FY2017 and each subsequent fiscal year for refugee resettlement activities. | 2023-01-11T13:33:48Z | |
| 114-hr-5992 | 114 | hr | 5992 | American Job Creation and Investment Promotion Reform Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-09-12 | 2016-09-26 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Goodlatte, Bob [R-VA-6] | VA | R | G000289 | 1 | American Job Creation and Investment Promotion Reform Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise EB-5 (alien immigrant investor) provisions, including regional center program provisions. The bill prescribes E-B5 requirements regarding: (1) fund sources; (2) threats to the national interest; and (3) fraud, misrepresentation,and criminal misuse. Future program participation is barred for a person who knowingly participated in conduct that caused a program center's termination. The EB-5 regional center program is extended through September 30, 2021. EB-5 investors must be at least 18 years old. The bill: (1) provides initial conditional permanent resident status for an alien investor (and the investor's spouse and children), and (2) sets aside 2,000 EB-5 visas for aliens who invest in rural areas and 2,000 EB-5 visas for aliens who invest in priority urban investment areas. A regional center shall operate within a defined geographic area and shall be consistent with the purpose of concentrating pooled investment within such area. The bill prescribes job creation requirements. Approved regional centers must give advance notice to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of significant proposed changes to their organizational structure, ownership, or administration. U.S. nationals are included in the minimum of 10 U.S. persons for whom an EB-5 project must provide employment. Only a U.S. national or lawfully admitted permanent resident may be involved with a regional center. A regional center shall monitor and supervise all offers, purchases, and sales of securities made by associated parties to ensure compliance with U.S. securities laws. The bill establishes the EB-5 Integrity Fund. The bill prescribes fund source and gift restrictions. Minimum investment amounts are increased. The bill authorizes concurrent filing of EB-5 petitions and applications for adjustment to conditional lawful permanent resident status. | 2023-01-11T13:33:50Z | |
| 114-hr-5988 | 114 | hr | 5988 | Remedies for Refusal of Repatriation Act | Immigration | 2016-09-09 | 2016-09-26 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Courtney, Joe [D-CT-2] | CT | D | C001069 | 2 | Remedies for Refusal of Repatriation Act This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish procedures for determining whether a foreign government systematically and unreasonably refuses or delays the repatriation of its nationals who: (1) have been ordered deported by the United States; and (2) have been convicted of a felony or a crime of violence or are a threat to national security or public safety. Upon determining that a country does refuse or delay repatriation of its citizens, DHS shall notify the Department of State and the two departments shall meet with the country's representatives and notify them that the United States may deny visas to their nationals. If the country continues to refuse or delay the repatriation of its nationals, the State Department shall discontinue the issuance of visas, unless DHS determines that such discontinuance is not in U.S. interests. DHS and the State Department shall list such countries on their websites. | 2023-01-11T13:33:50Z | |
| 114-hr-5801 | 114 | hr | 5801 | Protect and Grow American Jobs Act | Immigration | 2016-07-14 | 2016-09-08 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Issa, Darrell E. [R-CA-49] | CA | R | I000056 | 9 | Protect and Grow American Jobs Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise the definition of "exempt H-1B nonimmigrant" to eliminate the masters or higher degree requirement and raise the annual salary threshold requirement from $60,000 to $100,000. (An exempt H-1B nonimmigrant is a nonimmigrant H-1B [specialty occupation] worker meeting certain criteria whom an H-1B dependent employer may hire without having to satisfy certain otherwise applicable H-1B hiring criteria. An H-1B dependent employer is generally one whose H-1B workers comprise 15% or more of the employer's total workforce, with different thresholds applying to smaller employers.) The bill requires an inflation adjustment to the salary threshold every third fiscal year. | 2023-01-11T13:33:23Z | |
| 114-hr-5804 | 114 | hr | 5804 | No Resettlement Without Consent Act | Immigration | 2016-07-14 | 2016-08-11 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Culberson, John Abney [R-TX-7] | TX | R | C001048 | 5 | No Resettlement Without Consent Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that: (1) the Office of Refugee Resettlement shall not place or resettle a refugee within a state without the governor's approval; and (2) notwithstanding such approval, the office shall not place or resettle a refugee in any locality within a state if the locality has in effect a law, or a policy with the effect of law, disapproving of refugee resettlement in that locality. | 2023-01-11T13:33:23Z | |
| 114-hr-5816 | 114 | hr | 5816 | To suspend, and subsequently terminate, the admission of certain refugees, to examine the impact on the national security of the United States of admitting refugees, to examine the costs of providing benefits to such individuals, and for other purposes. | Immigration | 2016-07-14 | 2016-08-11 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Babin, Brian [R-TX-36] | TX | R | B001291 | 49 | Resettlement Accountability National Security Prioritization Act of 2016 This bill prohibits the admission of covered aliens into the United States for four years unless Congress passes a joint resolution giving the Department of Homeland Security authority to admit them. No covered alien may be admitted into the United States after such four-year period. "Covered alien" means an alien applying for refugee admission to the United States who: (1) is a national of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, or Yemen; or (2) has no nationality and whose last habitual residence was in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, or Yemen. The Government Accountability Office shall report on: (1) the national security impact of refugee admissions; and (2) specified costs of providing refugees with benefits under Medicare, Medicaid, disability insurance under title II of the Social Security Act, the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP, formerly the food stamp program), and section 8 rental assistance. | 2023-01-11T13:33:22Z | |
| 114-hr-5820 | 114 | hr | 5820 | Modernizing Travel to the Marianas Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-07-14 | 2016-08-11 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Del. Bordallo, Madeleine Z. [D-GU-At Large] | GU | D | B001245 | 0 | Modernizing Travel to the Marianas Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to direct the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop and implement a fully automated electronic travel authorization system to collect biographical and other information in order to determine, before travel, the eligibility of, and any law enforcement or security risk of permitting, an alien to travel to Guam or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. DHS shall establish and collect a fee for the use of such system. Such system shall be similar to the electronic system for travel authorization to the United States. | 2023-01-11T13:33:22Z | |
| 114-hr-5825 | 114 | hr | 5825 | Illegal Alien Capture Notification Act | Immigration | 2016-07-14 | 2016-08-11 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Brat, Dave [R-VA-7] | VA | R | B001290 | 1 | Illegal Alien Capture Notification Act This bill amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to provide that a person or agency shall (currently, may) not prohibit or restrict a federal, state, or local government entity from undertaking any of the following law enforcement activities (current law refers to information activities) regarding an individual's immigration status: notifying the federal government regarding the presence of inadmissible and deportable aliens who are encountered by state or local law enforcement personnel, or complying with federal law enforcement information requests. A federal, state, or local government entity or official shall not issue ordinances, administrative actions, general or special orders, or departmental policies that violate federal law or restrict a state or political subdivision from complying with federal law or coordinating with federal law enforcement. A state or political subdivision that has in effect a statute, policy, or practice that prohibits state or local law enforcement officers from assisting or cooperating with federal immigration law enforcement in the course of carrying out the officers' routine law enforcement duties shall not be eligible to receive: (1) funds for the incarceration of undocumented criminal aliens or for the Cops on the Beat program, or (2) any other law enforcement or Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grant. States or political subdivisions not in compliance shall: (1) be ineligible to receive such assistance for at least one year, and (2) become eligible for such assistance only after DHS certifies that the jurisdiction is in compliance. Withheld funds shall be reallocated to complying states or political subdivisions. States and political subdivisions shall provide DHS with identifying information regarding each incarcerated alien who is believed to be inadmissible or deportable. Nothing in this bill shall require state or local law enforcement officials to: (1) provide DHS with informati… | 2023-01-11T13:33:22Z | |
| 114-hr-5826 | 114 | hr | 5826 | Detain and Deport Act | Immigration | 2016-07-14 | 2016-08-11 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Brat, Dave [R-VA-7] | VA | R | B001290 | 1 | Detain and Deport Act This bill provides that a state or political subdivision that has in effect a statute, policy, or practice providing that it not comply with any Department of Homeland Security (DHS) detainer ordering it to temporarily hold an alien in its custody so that the alien may be taken into federal custody or to transport the alien for transfer to federal custody shall not be eligible to receive any law enforcement or DHS grant. A state or political subdivision acting in compliance with such a DHS detainer shall be considered to be acting under color of federal authority for purposes of determining its liability and immunity from suit in civil actions brought by the aliens. It is the sense of Congress that DHS has probable cause to believe that an alien is inadmissible or deportable when it issues a detainer regarding the alien under the standards in place on the date of introduction of this bill. | 2023-01-11T13:33:22Z | |
| 114-hr-5851 | 114 | hr | 5851 | Refugee Protection Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-07-14 | 2016-08-17 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Human Resources. | House | Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-19] | CA | D | L000397 | 34 | Refugee Protection Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate the one-year time limit for filing an asylum claim. The bill revises the definition of "refugee" and the criteria for granting asylum. The bill makes certain currently required detention provisions regarding arriving aliens who request asylum discretionary. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall: (1) establish a secure alternatives to detention program, and (2) establish specified conditions of detention. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom may conduct a study to determine whether certain immigration officers are properly handling asylum and removal/detention authority. The bill: (1) authorizes waiver of the continuous one-year presence requirement for permanent resident status adjustment for a qualifying refugee/asylee who worked for the U.S. government overseas; (2) exempts aliens under the age of 18 from certain restrictions on applying for asylum; and (3) sets forth protections for minors, refugees, aliens interdicted at sea, and stateless persons. The President is authorized to designate refugee groups. The bill authorizes refugee applicants to simultaneously pursue other forms of admission. The spouse or child of a refugee or asylee may bring his or her accompanying or following child into the United States as a refugee or asylee. If the President does not issue a refugee allocation determination before the beginning of a fiscal year, the number of refugees that may be admitted in each quarter shall be 25% of the number of refugees admissible during the previous fiscal year. The bill amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006, with respect to naturalization of an Afghan or Iraqi translator who is a lawful permanent resident, to count a period of absence from the United States working as a translator for the United States or a U.S. contractor in Afghanistan or Iraq towards the accumulation of the required physical presence in the Unite… | 2023-01-11T13:33:21Z | |
| 114-hr-5853 | 114 | hr | 5853 | Empowering Local Law Enforcement Act | Immigration | 2016-07-14 | 2016-08-11 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Luetkemeyer, Blaine [R-MO-3] | MO | R | L000569 | 7 | Empowering Local Law Enforcement Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to enter into a written agreement with a state or a subdivision thereof pursuant to which a state or local officer or employee may carry out immigration-related investigations, apprehensions, or detentions of aliens in the United States at state or local expense. (Under current law, such agreements are discretionary and carried out by the Department of Justice.) The bill prohibits a state or local agreement request from being denied, or an agreement from being terminated, without a compelling reason. DHS shall ensure that information is provided to the National Criminal Information Center (NCIC) and the Law Enforcement Support Center (LESC) regarding the identity of any individual: with an active order of removal; who has been removed from the United States based upon engaging in terrorism or espionage, attempting to unlawfully enter the United States, being convicted of participation in a criminal street gang, being convicted of a felony other than a state or local offense for which an essential element was the alien's immigration status, or being convicted of an aggravated felony; and for whom a detainer was issued within the previous year but who was not taken into federal custody. If a state of local law enforcement official apprehends an individual for a crime and the officer has reason to believe that the individual is an alien, the officer may: (1) verify, using the information provided to the NCIC and the LESC, whether the individual is an individual described in this bill; (2) if so, issue a federal detainer; and (3) transport the individual for transfer to federal custody. DHS shall prioritize such an individual for removal. | 2023-01-11T13:33:21Z | |
| 114-hr-5881 | 114 | hr | 5881 | Unaccompanied Alien Children Placement Transparency Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-07-14 | 2016-08-10 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Roe, David P. [R-TN-1] | TN | R | R000582 | 6 | Unaccompanied Alien Children Placement Transparency Act of 2016 This bill amends the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to require the Department of Health and Human Services or the Department of Homeland Security to provide the following information to the governor and each appropriate agency of a state within 60 days after the custodial placement in such state of an unaccompanied alien child who is in federal custody by reason of the child's immigration status: the child's medical records if the child will be attending state public schools, the custodian's address and immigration status, any federal public benefit that the child will receive, and any federal public benefit that the custodian will receive as a result of such custody. | 2023-01-11T13:33:20Z | |
| 114-hr-5888 | 114 | hr | 5888 | To amend section 6 of the Joint Resolution entitled "A Joint Resolution to approve the Covenant To Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America, and for other purposes". | Immigration | 2016-07-14 | 2016-08-04 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs. | House | Del. Sablan, Gregorio Kilili Camacho [D-MP-At Large] | MP | D | S001177 | 0 | This bill amends the "Joint Resolution to approve the Covenant To Establish a Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Political Union with the United States of America" to extend until December 31, 2029, the transition period during which the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall regulate immigration in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) pending full applicability of U.S. immigration laws to the CNMI. The annual supplemental vocational education fee currently charged to the employer of each CNMI transition period nonimmigrant worker shall be charged instead to the employer of each temporary worker. The CNMI shall provide the Department of Labor with an annual plan for the expenditure of such funds for U.S. worker job placement. DHS is authorized to not reduce the annual transitional nonimmigrant worker visa allocation to zero during the transition period if a reduction in the number of available workers would adversely affect the CNMI's economy. The bill caps the number of transitional nonimmigrant worker visas at 18,000. An employer shall pay a CW-1 transitional worker: (1) wages that are at least the actual wage level paid by the employer to all other similarly qualified individuals; (2) wages that are at least the prevailing wage level for the occupational classification; or (3) for job classifications without a certified prevailing wage, wages equal to or greater than the mean wage of the three lowest wages within the CNMI's prevailing wage system. Labor, by April 30, 2027, shall ascertain the CNMI's current and anticipated labor needs and determine whether a five-year extension of the transition program is necessary to ensure the availability of an adequate number of workers. The bill provides for, and set forth the criteria under which, long-term CNMI residents may be admitted as CNMI permanent residents. The bill sets forth specified reporting and data collection requirements. | 2023-01-11T13:33:20Z | |
| 114-hr-5905 | 114 | hr | 5905 | POSSE Act | Immigration | 2016-07-14 | 2016-08-12 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security. | House | Rep. Weber, Randy K., Sr. [R-TX-14] | TX | R | W000814 | 10 | Protect Our Southwestern States Enforcement Act or the POSSE Act This bill requires U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to: (1) ensure that specified Border Patrol sectors in Texas, California, and Arizona are fully staffed, including by hiring additional CBP and Border Patrol personnel as needed; and (2) maintain the number of Border Patrol stations in each such sector at current levels. The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 is amended to direct the Department of Homeland Security to construct double-layered fencing along the entire southwest border by December 31, 2019. (Current law provides for reinforced fencing along at least 700 miles of such border.) | 2023-01-11T13:33:19Z | |
| 114-s-3241 | 114 | s | 3241 | Refugee Protection Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-07-14 | 2016-07-14 | Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S5167-5168) | Senate | Sen. Leahy, Patrick J. [D-VT] | VT | D | L000174 | 4 | Refugee Protection Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Naturalization Act to eliminate the one-year time limit for filing an asylum claim. The bill revises: (1) the definition of "refugee," and (2) the criteria for granting asylum. The bill makes certain currently required detention provisions regarding arriving aliens who request asylum discretionary. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall: (1) establish a secure alternatives to detention program, and (2) establish specified conditions of detention. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom may conduct a study to determine whether certain immigration officers are properly handling asylum and removal/detention authority. The bill: (1) authorizes waiver of the continuous one-year presence requirement for permanent resident status adjustment for a qualifying refugee/asylee who worked for the U.S. government overseas; (2) exempts aliens under the age of 18 from certain restrictions on applying for asylum; and (3) sets forth protections for minors, refugees, aliens interdicted at sea, and stateless persons. The President is authorized to designate refugee groups. The bill authorizes refugee applicants to simultaneously pursue other forms of admission. The spouse or child of a refugee or asylee may bring his or her accompanying or following child into the United States as a refugee or asylee. If the President does not issue a refugee allocation determination before the beginning of a fiscal year, the number of refugees that may be admitted in each quarter shall be 25% of the number of refugees admissible during the previous fiscal year. The bill amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006, with respect to naturalization of an Afghan or Iraqi translator who is a lawful permanent resident, to count a period of absence from the United States working as a translator for the United States or a U.S. contractor in Afghanistan or Iraq towards the accumulation of the required physical presence… | 2023-01-11T13:33:12Z | |
| 114-s-3276 | 114 | s | 3276 | Taking Action Against Drunk Drivers Act | Immigration | 2016-07-14 | 2016-07-14 | Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S5170-5171) | Senate | Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA] | IA | R | G000386 | 12 | Taking Action Against Drunk Drivers Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the mandatory detention of an alien who: (1) was not lawfully admitted into the United States, held a revoked nonimmigrant visa, or violated his or her nonimmigrant status; and (2) has a pending federal or state charge of driving under the influence or driving while intoxicated, regardless of whether the offense is classified as a felony or a misdemeanor. An alien convicted of three or more federal or state offenses for driving under the influence or driving while intoxicated, regardless of whether the offenses are classified as felonies or misdemeanors, is: (1) inadmissible, or (2) deportable if at least one of such offenses occurred after the enactment of this bill. The definition of "aggravated felony" is expanded for purposes of such Act to include a third conviction under federal or state law for driving under the influence or driving while intoxicated, regardless of whether the offense is classified as a felony or a misdemeanor, for which the term of imprisonment is at least one year. An alien who was convicted two or more times before the enactment of this bill for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs may not be removed for the commission of an aggravated felony based upon such convictions until conviction of another such offense after the enactment of this bill. | 2023-01-11T13:33:11Z | |
| 114-s-3277 | 114 | s | 3277 | Remedies for Refusal of Repatriation Act | Immigration | 2016-07-14 | 2016-07-14 | Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. | Senate | Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] | CT | D | B001277 | 2 | Remedies for Refusal of Repatriation Act This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish procedures for determining whether a foreign government systematically and unreasonably refuses or delays the repatriation of its nationals who: (1) have been ordered deported by the United States; and (2) have been convicted of a felony or a crime of violence or are a threat to national security or public safety. Upon determining that a country does refuse or delay repatriation of its citizens, DHS shall notify the Department of State and the two departments shall meet with the country's representatives and notify them that the United States may deny visas to their nationals. If the country continues to refuse or delay the repatriation of its nationals, the State Department shall discontinue the issuance of visas, unless DHS determines that such discontinuance is not in U.S. interests. DHS and the State Department shall list such countries on their websites. | 2023-01-11T13:33:10Z | |
| 114-hr-5766 | 114 | hr | 5766 | Amerasian Paternity Recognition Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-07-13 | 2016-07-27 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-19] | CA | D | L000397 | 6 | Amerasian Paternity Recognition Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to confer automatic citizenship on aliens residing in the United States in lawful permanent resident status: pursuant to an approved classification petition that gives preferential treatment to persons born in Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Kampuchea, or Thailand after 1950 and before October 22, 1982, and fathered by a U.S. citizen; or who were born in Vietnam after January 1, 1962, and before January 1, 1976, and fathered by a U.S. citizen. | 2023-01-11T13:33:24Z | |
| 114-hr-5742 | 114 | hr | 5742 | Uniting Families Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-07-12 | 2016-07-27 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Kind, Ron [D-WI-3] | WI | D | K000188 | 4 | Uniting Families Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish a non-immigrant W-visa category for an alien who: (1) is 18 or older and is the genetic son or daughter of a U.S. citizen who served in the Armed Forces on active duty abroad, or (2) is the spouse or child of such alien and is accompanying, or following to join, such alien. A visa shall not be issued until a petition has been filed in the United States by the applicant's citizen parent and approved by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Such petition shall include: DNA evidence establishing that the alien is the petitioner's genetic child, a written agreement that the parent will provide financial support until the alien's status is adjusted to lawful permanent resident status, and information establishing that the petitioner is a U.S. citizen who served in the Armed Forces on active duty abroad. The bill provides that: (1) the period of authorized admission for a W-visa alien is five years, which may be extended for one additional two-year period; and (2) the total number of principal W-visa aliens who may be admitted during any fiscal is 5,000. The bill prescribes the criteria that a W-visa alien must meet in order to adjust to lawful permanent resident status, including an understanding of the English language and U.S. history. (Such language and history requirements for naturalization purposes shall not apply to a person who has satisfied them in adjusting from W-visa status to lawful permanent resident status.) | 2023-01-11T13:33:25Z | |
| 114-hr-5695 | 114 | hr | 5695 | Veterans Visa and Protection Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-07-08 | 2016-08-11 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel. | House | Rep. Grijalva, Raúl M. [D-AZ-3] | AZ | D | G000551 | 22 | Veterans Visa and Protection Act of 2016 This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) establish a program to permit eligible deported noncitizen veterans to enter the United States as, and to permit eligible noncitizen veterans in the United States to adjust their status to that of, a noncitizen lawfully admitted for permanent residence; and (2) cancel the removal of eligible noncitizen veterans and allow them to similarly adjust their status. An "eligible" veteran is a veteran who: (1) was not ordered removed, or removed, from the United States due to a criminal conviction for a crime of violence or for a crime that endangers U.S. national security for which the noncitizen served at least five years' imprisonment; and (2) is not inadmissible to, or deportable from, the United States due to such a conviction. DHS may waive such eligibility requirements for humanitarian purposes, to assure family unity, due to exceptional service in the U.S. Armed Forces, or if such waiver otherwise is in the public interest. A noncitizen veteran or service member shall not be removed from the United States unless he or she has a criminal conviction for a crime of violence. A noncitizen who has obtained the status of a noncitizen lawfully admitted for permanent residence under this bill shall be eligible for naturalization through service in the U.S. Armed Forces, except that: (1) the grounds on which the noncitizen was ordered removed from, or rendered inadmissible to or deportable from, the United States shall be disregarded when determining whether the noncitizen is a person of good moral character; and (2) any period of absence from the United States due to the noncitizen having been removed or being inadmissible shall be disregarded when determining if the noncitizen satisfies any requirement relating to continuous residence or physical presence. A noncitizen who has obtained the status of a noncitizen lawfully admitted for permanent residence under this bill shall be eligible for all milita… | 2023-01-11T13:33:26Z | |
| 114-hr-5654 | 114 | hr | 5654 | Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act | Immigration | 2016-07-07 | 2016-07-20 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Black, Diane [R-TN-6] | TN | R | B001273 | 70 | Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act This bill prohibits a sanctuary jurisdiction from receiving grants under certain Economic Development Assistance Programs and the Community Development Block Grant Program. A sanctuary jurisdiction is a state or political subdivision that has a statute, policy, or practice in effect that prohibits or restricts: (1) information sharing about an individual's immigration status, or (2) compliance with a lawfully issued detainer request or notification of release request. A state or political subdivision that complies with a detainer is deemed to be an agent of the Department of Homeland Security and is authorized to take actions to comply with the detainer. The bill limits the liability of a state or political subdivision, or an officer or employee of such state or political subdivision, for actions in compliance with the detainer. | 2023-01-11T13:33:28Z | |
| 114-hr-5657 | 114 | hr | 5657 | H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-07-07 | 2016-08-11 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Pascrell, Bill, Jr. [D-NJ-9] | NJ | D | P000096 | 1 | H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act of 2016 This bill amends the the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise employer and government requirements regarding visas for nonimmigrant aliens rated H-1B (specialty occupation) and L-1 (intracompany transfer to the United States from abroad). H-1B employer application requirements are revised. The bill establishes an H-1B visa allocation system, with first priority reserved for aliens who have earned an advanced degree in a field of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) from a U.S. institution of higher education. The bill requires completion of a U.S. degree (or an equivalent foreign degree) as a qualification for "specialty occupation" eligibility, eliminating experience in a specialty as an equivalent to the completion of such a degree. The bill prescribes an H-1B labor condition application fee. The Department of Labor may issue subpoenas and seek appropriate injunctive relief and specific performance of contractual obligations to ensure H-1B employer compliance. The period of authorized admission for an H-1B nonimmigrant is reduced from six to three years, with a three-year extension available for aliens with extraordinary ability or with advanced degrees, or professors. The bill denies an H-1B visa to any alien normally classifiable as an H-1 nonimmigrant who seeks U.S. admission to provide services in a specialty occupation. Labor may investigate applications for fraud and conduct H-1B compliance audits. Labor shall conduct annual audits of companies with more than 100 employees who work in the United States if more than 15% of those employees are H-1B nonimmigrants. The bill increases certain employer penalties, including the penalty for displacing a U.S. worker. An employer that violates any H-1B requirement shall be liable to the harmed employee for lost wages and benefits. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services shall give Labor any information in materials submitted by H-1B employers as part of the petition adjudication pro… | 2023-01-11T13:33:28Z | |
| 114-hr-5646 | 114 | hr | 5646 | Sarah's Law | Immigration | 2016-07-06 | 2016-07-15 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. King, Steve [R-IA-4] | IA | R | K000362 | 24 | Sarah's Law This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the detention of an alien: (1) who was not inspected and admitted into the United States, who held a revoked nonimmigrant visa (or other nonimmigrant admission document), or who is deportable for failing to maintain nonimmigrant status; and (2) who has been charged in the United States with a crime that resulted in the death or serious bodily injury of another person. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement shall make reasonable efforts to: obtain information about the identity of any victims of the crimes for which such alien was charged or convicted; and provide the victim, or a parent, guardian, spouse, or closest living relative of a deceased victim, with information about such alien, including name, date of birth, nationality, immigration status, criminal history, and a description of any related removal efforts. | 2023-01-11T13:33:28Z | |
| 114-hr-5619 | 114 | hr | 5619 | Sarah's Law | Immigration | 2016-07-05 | 2016-07-20 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Young, David [R-IA-3] | IA | R | Y000066 | 17 | Sarah's Law This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the detention of an alien: (1) who was not inspected and admitted into the United States, who held a revoked nonimmigrant visa (or other nonimmigrant admission document), or who is deportable for failing to maintain nonimmigrant status; and (2) who has been charged in the United States with a crime that resulted in the death or serious bodily injury of another person. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement shall make reasonable efforts to: obtain information about the identity of any victims of the crimes for which such alien was charged or convicted; and provide the victim, or a parent, guardian, spouse, or closest living relative of a deceased victim, with information about such alien, including name, date of birth, nationality, immigration status, criminal history, and a description of any related removal efforts. | 2023-01-11T13:33:29Z | |
| 114-s-3124 | 114 | s | 3124 | Sarah's Law | Immigration | 2016-06-29 | 2016-06-29 | Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. | Senate | Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA] | IA | R | E000295 | 9 | Sarah's Law This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the detention of an alien: (1) who was not inspected and admitted into the United States, who held a revoked nonimmigrant visa (or other nonimmigrant admission document), or who is deportable for failing to maintain nonimmigrant status; and (2) who has been charged in the United States with a crime that resulted in the death or serious bodily injury of another person. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement shall make reasonable efforts to: obtain information about the identity of any victims of the crimes for which such alien was charged or convicted; and provide the victim, or a parent, guardian, spouse, or closest living relative of a deceased victim, with information about such alien, including name, date of birth, nationality, immigration status, criminal history, and a description of any related removal efforts. | 2023-01-11T13:32:37Z | |
| 114-s-3100 | 114 | s | 3100 | Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act | Immigration | 2016-06-27 | 2016-07-06 | Cloture on the motion to proceed to the measure not invoked in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 53 - 44. Record Vote Number: 119. (consideration: CR S4798-4799; text: CR S4799) | Senate | Sen. Toomey, Patrick [R-PA] | PA | R | T000461 | 10 | Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act This bill prohibits a sanctuary jurisdiction from receiving grants under certain Economic Development Assistance Programs and the Community Development Block Grant Program. A sanctuary jurisdiction is a state or political subdivision that has a statute, policy, or practice in effect that prohibits or restricts: (1) information sharing about an individual's immigration status, or (2) compliance with a lawfully issued detainer request or notification of release request. A state or political subdivision that complies with a detainer is deemed to be an agent of the Department of Homeland Security and is authorized to take actions to comply with the detainer. The bill limits the liability of a state or political subdivision, or an officer or employee of such state or political subdivision, for actions in compliance with the detainer. | 2021-12-17T13:53:07Z | |
| 114-hr-5533 | 114 | hr | 5533 | Recognizing American Children Act | Immigration | 2016-06-20 | 2016-07-05 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Human Resources. | House | Rep. Curbelo, Carlos [R-FL-26] | FL | R | C001107 | 2 | Recognizing American Children Act This bill authorizes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to cancel the removal of, and adjust to conditional nonimmigrant for an initial five-year period the status of, an alien who: was younger than 16 years old when he or she initially entered the United States and who has been physically present in the United States since January 1, 2010; is a person of good moral character; is not inadmissible or deportable on specified grounds under the Immigration and Nationality Act; has not participated in the persecution of any person on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion; has not been convicted of certain offenses under federal or state law; is 18 years or older and has earned a high school diploma, general education development certificate, or high school equivalency diploma in the United States, has been admitted to an institution of higher education, or has a valid work authorization; and has never been under a final order of exclusion, deportation, or removal unless the alien has remained in the United States under color of law after such order's issuance or received the order before attaining the age of 18. An alien applying for relief under this bill shall: (1) register under the Military Selective Service Act if so required, (2) undergo a medical examination, (3) submit biometric and biographic data, and (4) complete security and law enforcement background checks. Conditional nonimmigrant status shall include employment and military enlistment authorization. DHS shall terminate the conditional nonimmigrant status of an alien who is at least 18 years old and who: (1) is an enlistee who fails to enlist or be accepted for enlistment or who receives a dishonorable or other than honorable military discharge; (2) becomes a public charge; (3) is a postsecondary student who fails to enroll or to remain so enrolled in an accredited U.S. institution of higher education; (4) fails to meet employment requi… | 2023-01-11T13:32:45Z | |
| 114-hres-777 | 114 | hres | 777 | Recognizing Mayte Lara Ibarra, and Larissa Martinez for their bravery and leadership in addressing anti-immigrant sentiments voiced by United States politicians. | Immigration | 2016-06-13 | 2016-06-15 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Veasey, Marc A. [D-TX-33] | TX | D | V000131 | 20 | Recognizes Mayte Lara Ibarra, and Larissa Martinez for their bravery and leadership in addressing anti-immigrant sentiments voiced by U.S. politicians. Recognizes that beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program have provided inspiration in their pursuit of the American dream. Commends their efforts to promote comprehensive immigration reform. Recognizes the many undocumented valedictorians and graduating seniors of the class of 2016 for their academic achievements. | 2023-01-11T13:32:42Z | |
| 114-hr-5446 | 114 | hr | 5446 | Foreign ID Review Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-06-10 | 2016-06-16 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Veasey, Marc A. [D-TX-33] | TX | D | V000131 | 3 | Foreign ID Review Act of 2016 This bill requires the Department of Justice to review every two years all forms of identification issued to foreign nationals in the United States by the governments of Mexico, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, including consular-issued identification and passports, to determine if such forms of identification are sufficiently secure to verify the bearer's identity for purposes such as opening a financial institution account and obtaining any lawful benefit for the bearer's child. | 2023-01-11T13:32:48Z | |
| 114-hr-5454 | 114 | hr | 5454 | Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-06-10 | 2016-06-15 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Smith, Adam [D-WA-9] | WA | D | S000510 | 7 | Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to grant automatic citizenship to all qualifying children adopted by a U.S. citizen parent, regardless of the date on which the adoption was finalized. An individual born outside of the United States who was adopted by a U.S. citizen parent shall automatically become a U.S. citizen when the following conditions have been fulfilled: the individual was adopted by a U.S. citizen before the individual reached age 18, the individual was physically present in the United States in the citizen parent's legal custody pursuant to a lawful admission before the individual reached age 18, the individual never acquired U.S. citizenship before the enactment of this Act, and the individual was lawfully residing in the United States on the date of enactment of this Act. An individual who meets such criteria, except for lawfully residing in the United States on the date of enactment of this Act, shall automatically become a U.S. citizen on the date on which the individual is physically present in the United States pursuant to a lawful admission. A visa may not be issued to such an individual unless: the individual was subjected to a criminal background check; and the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State coordinated with law enforcement agencies to ensure that appropriate action is taken regarding any unresolved criminal activity. | 2023-01-11T13:32:48Z | |
| 114-hr-5444 | 114 | hr | 5444 | Fourteenth Amendment Protection Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-06-09 | 2016-06-15 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Veasey, Marc A. [D-TX-33] | TX | D | V000131 | 12 | Fourteenth Amendment Protection Act of 2016 This bill prohibits a state or political subdivision, notwithstanding a U.S. citizen's age, the immigration status of the citizen's custodial parent or legal guardian, or such parent's or guardian's ability to present a document establishing his or her lawful permanent resident status, from: depriving such citizen or the parent or legal guardian acting on behalf of such citizen of any federal, state, or local benefit to which the citizen is lawfully entitled; prohibiting such citizen, parent, or legal guardian from accessing any legal document to which such citizen is lawfully entitled or eligible to apply for; or taking any action or omitting to take any action that deprives the citizen of any right, privilege, or immunity under the Constitution or laws of the United States. | 2023-01-11T13:32:48Z | |
| 114-hr-5412 | 114 | hr | 5412 | To provide the right of American Indians born in Canada or the United States to pass the borders of the United States to any individual who is a member, or is eligible to be a member, of a Federally recognized Indian tribe in the United States or Canada, and for other purposes. | Immigration | 2016-06-08 | 2016-06-15 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Kilmer, Derek [D-WA-6] | WA | D | K000381 | 3 | This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide the right to pass the borders of the United States (which includes other privileges pursuant to the Jay Treaty) to an American Indian born in the United States or Canada who is a member, or is eligible to be a member, of a federally recognized Indian tribe in the United States or Canada. (Current law provides such right to only an American Indian born in Canada who has at least 50% American Indian blood.) | 2023-01-11T13:32:49Z | |
| 114-hr-5398 | 114 | hr | 5398 | Immigration for a Competitive America Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-06-07 | 2016-08-19 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security. | House | Rep. Rice, Tom [R-SC-7] | SC | R | R000597 | 1 | Immigration for a Competitive America Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to reduce the annual cap for family-sponsored immigrants and increase the annual cap for certain employment-sponsored immigrants. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall establish an employment eligibility verification system (EEVS), patterned after the E-Verify system. (The current paper-based I-9 system is eliminated.) An employer shall verify that an individual is not an unauthorized alien by: (1) obtaining the individual's social security account number, and (2) examining an individual's identity and work authorization documents. An individual shall attest that he or she is a U.S. citizen or national, a lawful permanent resident, or an alien authorized to work in the United States. The bill establishes a phased-in EEVS participation deadline for different categories of employers, including agricultural employers. The bill requires reverification of certain workers who have not been verified under E-verify. An employer may voluntarily reverify employees. Employment recruitment and referral are included within the scope of EEVS. The bill provides for the establishment of programs to: (1) block the use of misused social security numbers, and (2) suspend or limit the use of social security numbers of victims of identity fraud. DHS shall establish: (1) a program under which parents or legal guardians may suspend or limit the use of the social security account number or other identifying information of a minor for the purposes of the employment eligibility verification system, and (2) an Identity Authentication Employment Eligibility Verification pilot program to provide employers with identity authentication and employment verification of enrolled new employees. The Internal Revenue Code is amended to: (1) deny an earned income tax credit and a child care credit to an alien receiving work authorization pursuant to a deferred removal action; and (2) require an individual to include his or he… | 2023-01-11T13:32:50Z | |
| 114-hjres-94 | 114 | hjres | 94 | Conferring honorary citizenship of the United States on Staff Sergeant Laszlo Holovits, Jr. | Immigration | 2016-05-17 | 2016-05-18 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Farr, Sam [D-CA-20] | CA | D | F000030 | 23 | This joint resolution confers honorary U.S. citizenship upon Staff Sergeant Laszlo Holovits, Jr., posthumously. | 2023-01-11T13:33:05Z | |
| 114-hr-5253 | 114 | hr | 5253 | Strong Visa Integrity Secures America Act | Immigration | 2016-05-16 | 2016-12-08 | Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Homeland Security. H. Rept. 114-850, Part I. | House | Rep. Hurd, Will [R-TX-23] | TX | R | H001073 | 6 | Strong Visa Integrity Secures America Act This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Department of State to assign, in a risk-based manner, State Department employees to at least 50 visa-issuing diplomatic and consular posts based upon the following criteria: the number of nationals of a country in which such posts are located who were identified in U.S. terrorist databases, such a country's counterterrorism cooperation with the United States, the adequacy of border and immigration control of such country, terrorist organization activity in such country, and the number of negative security advisory opinions regarding nationals of such country. Such employees shall, in addition to other duties, screen admissions applications against federal criminal, national security, and terrorism databases. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall: establish within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement a visa security advisory opinion unit to respond to State Department requests for visa security reviews; and provide, in a risk-based manner, for remote pre-adjudicated visa security assistance at at least 50 posts that are not assigned such employees. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shall, within one year after enactment of this bill: screen electronic passports at U.S. entry airports by reading each passport's embedded chip, and utilize facial recognition or other biometric technology to screen travelers at such airports. Electronic passport screening shall apply to U.S. citizens, nationals of a visa waiver program country, and nationals of any other foreign country that issues electronic passports. Facial recognition or other biometric technology screening shall apply to nationals of a visa waiver program country. The CBP shall, in a risk-based manner, continuously screen individuals issued any visa and individuals who are visa waiver program nationals against criminal, national security, and terrorism databases. The annual visa overstay report is revised. DHS shall: (1… | 2023-01-11T13:33:02Z | |
| 114-hr-5203 | 114 | hr | 5203 | Visa Integrity and Security Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-05-12 | 2016-05-25 | Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 14 - 10. | House | Rep. Forbes, J. Randy [R-VA-4] | VA | R | F000445 | 8 | Visa Integrity and Security Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to require that: (1) visa and admissions petitions and applications filed with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or a consular officer must contain all required signatures; (2) each immigrant visa application must be signed in the presence of a consular officer and verified by oath; (3) supporting documents that contain information in a foreign language may not be accepted without a certified English translation; and (4) any requested additional information must be provided in complete form before a petition or application is approved. No petition or application may be approved unless a background check is completed to determine whether each petitioner/applicant or beneficiary/derivative is a national security threat or is otherwise ineligible for entry. A background check shall include a review of social media activity. No immigrant or nonimmigrant visa may be issued (with specified exceptions) until completion of a security advisory opinion for an alien: (1) who is a national of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Sudan, Yemen, or any other country that the Department of State determines appropriate; (2) who is a national of a country that the State Department has designated as a country whose nationals should be subject to a security advisory opinion; or (3) for whom the consular officer determines a security advisory opinion is appropriate. A petition or application for an immigrant visa based upon a biological relationship between the petitioner or applicant and the beneficiary or derivative must include genetic test results confirming such relationship. DHS shall conduct an in-person interview with a person seeking any INA benefit, except for work authorization. DHS shall: (1) submit and implement a plan for the use of advanced analytics software to ensure the proactive detection of fraud in immigration benefits applications and petitions and to ensure that any such applicant or petitioner does not po… | 2023-01-11T13:33:04Z | |
| 114-hr-5207 | 114 | hr | 5207 | Freedom of Religion Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-05-12 | 2016-05-20 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Beyer, Donald S., Jr. [D-VA-8] | VA | D | B001292 | 114 | Freedom of Religion Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that an alien may not be denied admission to the United States because of his or her religion or lack of religious beliefs. | 2023-01-11T13:33:03Z | |
| 114-hr-5141 | 114 | hr | 5141 | Central American Amnesty Termination Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-04-29 | 2016-05-17 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Gosar, Paul A. [R-AZ-4] | AZ | R | G000565 | 22 | Central American Amnesty Termination Act of 2016 This bill prohibits any funds, resources, or fees available to the Department of Homeland Security or any other federal agency, including Immigration Examinations Fee Account deposits, from being used for the Central American Minors Refugee/Parole Program or any successor program. | 2023-01-11T13:31:31Z | |
| 114-hr-5101 | 114 | hr | 5101 | Zero Tolerance for Illegal Entry Act | Immigration | 2016-04-28 | 2016-05-17 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Culberson, John Abney [R-TX-7] | TX | R | C001048 | 5 | Zero Tolerance for Illegal Entry Act This bill directs the Department of Justice to require U.S. attorneys to prosecute to the fullest extent offenses involving improper entry by an alien or reentry of a removed alien. | 2023-01-11T13:31:32Z | |
| 114-hr-5102 | 114 | hr | 5102 | Interior Immigration Enforcement Act | Immigration | 2016-04-28 | 2016-05-17 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Culberson, John Abney [R-TX-7] | TX | R | C001048 | 8 | Interior Immigration Enforcement Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that an alien who is 18 or older, knowingly lacks lawful immigration status, and is present in the United States shall be fined and/or imprisoned for not more than six months for the first such offense and for not more than two years for a subsequent offense. | 2023-01-11T13:31:32Z | |
| 114-hres-708 | 114 | hres | 708 | Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the immigration policies of the United States should reduce automatic removal and detention, restore due process for immigrants, and repeal unnecessary barriers to legal immigration. | Immigration | 2016-04-27 | 2016-05-17 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Grijalva, Raúl M. [D-AZ-3] | AZ | D | G000551 | 33 | Supports immigration legislation that: acknowledges that immigrants and their families have inherent dignity and are deserving of human rights; restores immigration system fairness by updating the definition of "aggravated felony"; restores discretion to immigration judges to waive grounds of inadmissibility and deportability based on family and community equities, humanitarian considerations, other individualized circumstances, or because it is in the public interest; restores judicial review of case decisions to protect due process; eliminates mandatory detention and prolonged detention for immigrants and preserves the Department of Homeland Security's authority to exercise detention discretion; repeals programs that permit local law authorities to enforce federal immigration laws; and repeals the 3-year, 10-year, and permanent bars and other unnecessary barriers to legal immigration. | 2023-01-11T13:31:29Z | |
| 114-s-2833 | 114 | s | 2833 | Visa Transparency Anti-Trafficking Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-04-21 | 2016-04-21 | Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. | Senate | Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] | CT | D | B001277 | 1 | Visa Transparency Anti-Trafficking Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to expand nonimmigrant employer annual data reporting requirements to include all nonimmigrant worker categories and compensated cultural exchange, training, and business classifications. Expanded reporting requirements include information regarding: (1) the age and gender of admitted nonimmigrants, (2) categories and numbers of visas issued, (3) numbers of persons admitted under each visa classification and subclassification, (4) blanket petitions, (5) the occupation and country of origin of beneficiaries, (6) nonimmigrant worker employers, (7) compensation, and (8) citizens of nations with Compacts of Free Association with the United States who are authorized to reside permanently in the United States as nonimmigrants and their ports of U.S. entry. The Department of Labor shall: (1) submit such report and post the information along with the corresponding raw data and a searchable database to a public website, and (2) ensure that such posted information does not include information that would identify a specific person with reasonable certainty. Any government official who uses such information shall take steps to: (1) protect individual identities, and (2) prevent the information from being disaggregated into its component parts. The Department of State or the Department of Homeland Security, if requested by Labor, shall share information necessary for Labor to file its annual report regarding employer petitions for H-, P-, O-, and Q-visa nonimmigrant aliens. "Employment" means employment in the United States and includes cultural exchanges, training, or business activities for which the nonimmigrant receives any form of compensation. | 2023-01-11T13:33:08Z | |
| 114-hr-5006 | 114 | hr | 5006 | Visa Transparency Anti-Trafficking Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-04-20 | 2016-05-17 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Frankel, Lois [D-FL-22] | FL | D | F000462 | 7 | Visa Transparency Anti-Trafficking Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to expand nonimmigrant employer annual data reporting requirements to include all nonimmigrant worker categories and compensated cultural exchange, training, and business classifications. Expanded reporting requirements include information regarding: (1) the age and gender of admitted nonimmigrants; (2) categories and numbers of visas issued; (3) numbers of persons admitted under each visa classification and subclassification; (4) blanket petitions; (5) the occupation and country of origin of beneficiaries; (6) nonimmigrant worker employers; (7) compensation; and (8) citizens of nations with Compacts of Free Association with the United States who are authorized to reside permanently in the United States as nonimmigrants and their ports of U.S. entry. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall: (1) submit such report and post the information along with the corresponding raw data and a searchable database to a public website, and (2) ensure that such posted information does not include information that would identify a specific person with reasonable certainty. Any government official who uses such information shall take steps to: (1) protect individual identities, and (2) prevent the information from being disaggregated into its component parts. The Department of State or the Department of Labor, if requested by DHS, shall share information necessary for Labor to file its annual report regarding employer petitions for H-, P-, O-, and Q-visa nonimmigrant aliens. "Employment" means employment in the United States and includes cultural exchanges, training, or business activities for which the nonimmigrant receives any form of compensation. | 2023-01-11T13:31:36Z | |
| 114-hr-5012 | 114 | hr | 5012 | Restoring Respect for Immigrant Service in Uniform Act | Immigration | 2016-04-20 | 2016-05-17 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Gallego, Ruben [D-AZ-7] | AZ | D | G000574 | 5 | Restoring Respect for Immigrant Service in Uniform Act This bill expresses the sense of Congress that the Department of Homeland Security should exercise its discretion (including through the use of exceptions to inadmissibility based upon family reunification, humanitarian, or public benefit grounds, temporary waiver of inadmissibility, or consent to reapply for admission) to admit to the United States an alien who is inadmissible, was previously subject to an order of removal or has been removed, is outside of the United States, and is seeking U.S. admission, if such alien: has been a member of the Armed Forces for at least 180 days and has not received an other-than honorable discharge; has not been convicted of a felony, a significant misdemeanor, or three or more misdemeanors that are not significant misdemeanors and that each occurred on a different date and arose out of separate conduct; and is not otherwise a threat to national security or public safety. The Immigration and Nationality Act is amended to exempt from deportation an alien who has been a member of the Armed Forces for at least 180 days and has not received an other-than honorable discharge, except in the case of an alien who: has been convicted of a felony, a significant misdemeanor, or three or more misdemeanors that are not significant misdemeanors and that each occurred on a different date and arose out of separate conduct; and is otherwise a threat to national security or public safety. "Significant misdemeanor" means a misdemeanor: (1) that is a crime of domestic violence, (2) that is a sexual assault, (3) that involved the unlawful possession of a firearm, or (4) for which the alien was sentenced to prison for more than 90 days. | 2023-01-11T13:31:35Z | |
| 114-s-2827 | 114 | s | 2827 | Willing Workers and Willing Employers Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-04-20 | 2016-04-20 | Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. | Senate | Sen. Flake, Jeff [R-AZ] | AZ | R | F000444 | 0 | Willing Workers and Willing Employers Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish, for 10 years, an H-2C visa nonimmigrant classification for an alien who is coming temporarily to the United States to perform services or labor in a registered position for a registered non-agricultural employer. An alien may not be admitted as an H-2C nonimmigrant if the alien: is inadmissible under this Act, fails to pass a criminal or a national security background check, is from a country that has supported acts of international terrorism, or has not received an offer of employment from a registered employer in a registered position. A registered position is a position for which a registered employer has submitted an H-2C hiring attestation to, and that has been approved by, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). An occupation requiring an individual with a bachelor's degree or higher level of education may not be an eligible H-2C occupation. Employers must: (1) register with DHS, (2) operate in an employment area where the unemployment rate is equal to or less than 4.9%, (3) attest that they have advertised and attempted to recruit qualified U.S. workers, and (4) participate in the E-verify program or an employment verification system patterned upon E-verify. Such employers may: (1) promote an H-2C worker after not less than 12 months on the job, and (2) terminate an H-2C worker at any time for any reason for which it is lawful to terminate U.S. workers. The maximum number of positions that may be approved for the first fiscal year is 65,000, and the number of positions that may be approved for a subsequent fiscal year may not be less than 45,000 or more than 85,000. The initial period of authorized presence for an H-2C worker is 36 months, with specified renewal periods. A percentage of H-2C positions are reserved for small businesses. The bill prescribes penalties for: (1) H-2C worker violations, revocation of employment status, and removal from the United States; and (2) empl… | 2023-01-11T13:33:08Z | |
| 114-hr-4847 | 114 | hr | 4847 | Correcting Unfair Benefits for Aliens Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-03-23 | 2016-04-28 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Farenthold, Blake [R-TX-27] | TX | R | F000460 | 2 | Correcting Unfair Benefits for Aliens Act of 2016 or the CUBA Act of 2016 This bill expresses the sense of Congress that Cuban nationals should be treated under the same immigration rules as nationals of other countries with which the United States has diplomatic relations and should not receive preferential treatment. The bill repeals P.L. 89-732, which provides for the adjustment of Cuban citizens or nationals to lawful permanent resident status in the United States. No funds, resources, or fees made available to the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of State, or to any other federal agency, including deposits into the Immigration Examinations Fee Account, may be used to implement or administer any of the policy changes set forth in the 2007 memorandum from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement entitled "Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program." Cuban nationals who enter the United States on or after the date of enactment of this Act shall be ineligible for refugee/parolee assistance under the Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980. Conforming amendments are made to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 and the Immigration and Nationality Act. The Inspector General of the Social Security Administration shall report to Congress describing methods for enforcing the loss of Supplemental Security Income eligibility by persons who are absent from the United States for at least one month. | 2023-01-11T13:31:50Z | |
| 114-hr-4856 | 114 | hr | 4856 | To make aliens associated with a criminal gang inadmissible, deportable, and ineligible for various forms of relief. | Immigration | 2016-03-23 | 2016-04-28 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Gosar, Paul A. [R-AZ-4] | AZ | R | G000565 | 25 | This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to define "criminal gang." An alien who is or was a member of a criminal gang, or who participated in gang activity knowing that such participation will promote the gang's illegal activity, shall be inadmissible and deportable. The Department of Homeland Security may designate a group or association as a criminal gang. Detention shall be mandatory for anyone found inadmissible or deportable for criminal street gang membership. Individuals found inadmissible or deportable for criminal gang membership shall be barred from: asylum; withholding of removal; temporary protected status; special immigrant juvenile status; deferred action; and parole, unless assisting the United States in a law enforcement matter and required by the government to be present with respect to such assistance. An alien found at a U.S. land border or port of entry who is determined to be inadmissible and a threat to public safety (certain criminals, terrorists, street gang members) shall be subject to expedited removal. | 2023-01-11T13:31:50Z | |
| 114-hr-4823 | 114 | hr | 4823 | Bringing Entertainment Artists to the States (BEATS) Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-03-21 | 2016-04-28 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Trott, David A. [R-MI-11] | MI | R | T000475 | 3 | Bringing Entertainment Artists to the States (BEATS) Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to prescribe special procedures for the nonimmigrant entry of P-2 visa Canadian citizens (artists or entertainers participating in a government approved reciprocal exchange program). Such persons may, after U.S. admission and without filing an amended petition, alter or add to the dates and venues of performances listed in the original petition, provided that the altered or additional performances constitute no more than one third of the originally listed performances. | 2023-01-11T13:31:51Z | |
| 114-hr-4791 | 114 | hr | 4791 | USCIS Act | Immigration | 2016-03-17 | 2016-04-01 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Brat, Dave [R-VA-7] | VA | R | B001290 | 16 | Use Spending for Congressional Immigration Supervision Act or the USCIS Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to declare that all deposits into the Immigration Examinations Fee Account shall remain available to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) (currently, the Department of Justice [DOJ]) for reimbursement of administrative expenses, to the extent and in such amounts as are provided in advance in appropriation Acts. The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 is amended to declare that certain foreign student and exchange program fees that are deposited into the account shall remain available to DHS (currently, DOJ) for reimbursement of administrative expenses (including expenses related to gathering foreign student information), to the extent and in such amounts as are provided in advance in appropriation Acts. | 2023-01-11T13:31:52Z | |
| 114-hr-4798 | 114 | hr | 4798 | Reuniting Families Act | Immigration | 2016-03-17 | 2016-04-01 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Honda, Michael M. [D-CA-17] | CA | D | H001034 | 91 | Reuniting Families Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to establish the fiscal year worldwide level of employment-based immigrants at 140,000 plus: (1) the previous year's unused visas, and (2) the number of unused visas from FY1992-FY2015. The bill establishes the fiscal year worldwide level of family-sponsored immigrants at 480,000 plus: (1) the previous year's unused visas, and (2) the number of unused visas from FY1992-FY2015. The bill redefines "immediate relative" to: mean a child, spouse, permanent partner, or parent of a U.S. citizen or the child or spouse of a lawful permanent resident, except that in the case of parents such citizens shall be at least 21 years old; permit a widow or widower of a U.S. citizen or resident to seek permanent resident status if married at least two years at the time of the citizen's or resident's death or, if married less than two years, by showing through a preponderance of the evidence that the marriage was entered into in good faith and not solely to obtain an immigration benefit; and include an alien who was the child or parent of a U.S. citizen or resident at the time of the citizen's or resident's death if the alien files a petition within two years after such date or prior to reaching 21 years old. The bill increases immigration visas for: (1) unmarried sons and daughters of U.S. citizens, and (2) brothers and sisters of U.S. citizens. The bill also: establishes an 80,640 visa allocation for the unmarried sons and daughters of permanent resident aliens, increases annual per country (10% of annual total) and dependent area (5% of annual total) limits for employment-based and family-sponsored immigrant visas, and expands specified family-unity exceptions to unlawful presence-based inadmissibility. An alien shall be inadmissible for willful misrepresentation of citizenship. (Under current law inadmissibility is based on false representation of citizenship.) The bill specifies relief for orphans and spouses regarding: (1) peti… | 2023-01-11T13:31:52Z | |
| 114-s-2708 | 114 | s | 2708 | Religious Persecution Relief Act | Immigration | 2016-03-17 | 2016-03-17 | Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S1594-1596) | Senate | Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR] | AR | R | C001095 | 2 | Religious Persecution Relief Act This bill declares that Syrian nationals who are religious minorities in their country of origin: shall be classified as refugees of special humanitarian concern, shall be eligible for priority two processing under the refugee resettlement priority system, and may apply directly to the U.S. refugee admissions program for admission to the United States. The Immigration and Nationality Act is amended to authorize, in addition to the current worldwide refugee resettlement quota, the refugee admission of up to 10,000 religious-minority Syrian nationals for each of FY2016-FY2020. The Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 1990 is amended to establish as a protected refugee category persons who: are or were nationals and residents of the Syrian Arab Republic; as members of a religious minority in Syria, share common characteristics that identify them as targets of persecution in that state on account of religion, creed, or ethnicity; and have been underrepresented in the U.S. refugee resettlement program during the five-year period ending on September 30, 2015, when compared to their representation in the Syrian population as a whole. | 2023-01-11T13:31:43Z | |
| 114-hr-4731 | 114 | hr | 4731 | Refugee Program Integrity Restoration Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-03-14 | 2016-03-16 | Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 18 - 9. | House | Rep. Labrador, Raul R. [R-ID-1] | ID | R | L000573 | 25 | Refugee Program Integrity Restoration Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to: (1) establish the number of annual refugee admissions at 60,000, (2) authorize the President to submit an adjustment recommendation to Congress for approval based upon humanitarian or national interest concerns, and (3) provide that the President must submit emergency refugee admission recommendations to Congress for approval. The President shall (currently, may) terminate the refugee status of a person not entitled to such status. Refugee status is terminated for an individual who applied for such status because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution in the country from which he or she sought refuge on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion, but who has returned to such country absent changed conditions. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall, when processing refugee applications from individuals seeking refuge from a "country of particular concern," grant priority to minority religion applicants whose claims are based on persecution because of their religion. DHS may conduct recurrent background security checks of an admitted refugee until the refugee adjusts to permanent resident status. Waiver authorities are limited with respect to refugee inadmissibility and permanent resident status adjustment. With respect to refugee status adjustment to permanent resident: (1) required U.S. residency is increased to three years; (2) an in-person DHS interview is required; (3) five-year reexaminations are required for a refugee whose status adjustment is refused; and (4) deportability grounds, with an exception for public charge grounds, shall be grounds for refusal of status adjustment. Resettlement of any refugee may not be provided for in any state or locality where the governor, chief executive, or legislature has taken action disapproving such resettlement. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) shall compl… | 2023-01-11T13:31:54Z | |
| 114-hr-4726 | 114 | hr | 4726 | Preventing Illegal Visa Overstays Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-03-10 | 2016-03-10 | Referred to the House Committee on Homeland Security. | House | Rep. Graves, Sam [R-MO-6] | MO | R | G000546 | 0 | Preventing Illegal Visa Overstays Act of 2016 This bill prohibits the obligation of funds to pay the salary of the Secretary of Homeland Security until a biometric entry and exit data system has been fully implemented. | 2023-01-11T13:31:54Z | |
| 114-hr-4720 | 114 | hr | 4720 | Expedited Family Reunification Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-03-07 | 2016-04-01 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Salmon, Matt [R-AZ-5] | AZ | R | S000018 | 13 | Expedited Family Reunification Act of 2016 This bill amends the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to provide that any unaccompanied alien child (UAC) who has not been a victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons or does not have a credible fear of persecution on returning to his or her country of nationality or of last habitual residence shall be: placed in removal proceedings, eligible for voluntary departure at no cost to the child, and provided with access to counsel. (Currently such expedited removal requirements apply to unaccompanied children from countries that are contiguous to the United States.) The Department of State shall negotiate agreements, in addition to countries contiguous to the United States, between the United States and Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and any other appropriate country regarding the repatriation of children. The requirements of this Act are applied to any UAC apprehended on or after June 15, 2012. | 2023-01-11T13:31:54Z | |
| 114-hr-4646 | 114 | hr | 4646 | Fair Day in Court for Kids Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-02-26 | 2016-04-01 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-19] | CA | D | L000397 | 90 | Fair Day in Court for Kids Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) authorize the Department of Justice (DOJ) to appoint or provide counsel at government expense to aliens in removal proceedings. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall provide an alien in removal proceedings with all relevant documents in its possession, unless the alien has knowingly waived the right to such documents. In the absence of a waiver a removal proceeding may not proceed until the alien has received, and had time to review, the documents. DOJ may appoint or provide counsel to aliens in any INA proceeding. DHS shall ensure that aliens have access to counsel inside all immigration detention and border facilities. DOJ shall appoint counsel, at government expense if necessary, for an unaccompanied alien child or a particularly vulnerable individual. If DOJ has consolidated any such alien's case with that of any other alien, and that other alien does not have counsel, then the appointed counsel shall be appointed to represent the other alien as well. DHS shall: (1) facilitate access to counsel for all aliens detained in facilities under the supervision of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); and (2) establish procedures to ensure that legal orientation programs are available for all detained aliens, including aliens held in CBP facilities. DOJ shall develop and administer a two-year pilot program at not fewer than two immigration courts to grant access to legal information to non-detained aliens with pending asylum claims. DHS shall establish a pilot program to increase the court appearance rates of unaccompanied alien children and particularly vulnerable individuals by contracting with nongovernmental, community-based organizations to provide such aliens with case management services. The pilot program shall not be used to monitor individuals designated as unaccompanied alien children under the Homeland Security Act. If DOJ fails to appoint counsel… | 2023-01-11T13:32:04Z | |
| 114-hr-4597 | 114 | hr | 4597 | ICE Agent Support Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-02-24 | 2016-02-29 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Brooks, Mo [R-AL-5] | AL | R | B001274 | 6 | ICE Agent Support Act of 2016 This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to refund out of the Immigration Enforcement Account the amount paid out of any appropriation for expenses incurred by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for: identification, investigation, apprehension, detention, and removal of criminal aliens, including providing staffing levels within the Enforcement and Removal Operations division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; maintenance and updating of systems used by the division to identify and track criminal aliens, deportable aliens, inadmissible aliens, and aliens illegally entering the United States; and purchase of firearms, vehicles, and other safety or apprehension equipment for the division. DHS shall establish the percentage of positions within the division that shall be classified as a criminal investigator position. | 2023-01-11T13:32:06Z | |
| 114-hr-4598 | 114 | hr | 4598 | American Jobs First Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-02-24 | 2016-02-29 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Brooks, Mo [R-AL-5] | AL | R | B001274 | 4 | American Jobs First Act of 2016 This bill amends the the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise the H-1B nonimmigrant visa (specialty occupation) program, including by declaring that a petitioner employer: must offer an annual wage to the H-1B nonimmigrant that is the greater of the annual wage paid to the U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident employee who did identical or similar work during the previous 2 years, or $110,000, if offered not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act (with an annual inflation adjustment); will not require an H-1B nonimmigrant to pay a penalty for ending employment before the agreed on date; will not replace or contract to replace a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident with one or more nonimmigrants; has not displaced, terminated without cause, or otherwise involuntarily separated a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident employee during the four-year period beginning two years before the H-1B visa petition was filed; and shall attest in the H-1B application that during the previous two-year period there has not been an employee-initiated strike or an employer-initiated lockout, and that no employee in the same or substantially similar occupational classification has been displaced, terminated without cause, or otherwise involuntarily separated without cause. The bill also revises penalty and transparency requirements, and eliminates the H-1B-dependent employer category. The Department of Labor shall establish a process for the receipt, investigation, and disposition of complaints respecting an employer's: (1) failure to meet an application condition, or (2) misrepresentation of material facts in an application. No nonimmigrant foreign student present in the United States may be provided U.S. employment authorization under the optional practical training program (or any successor program) without an express Act of Congress authorizing such a program. An H-1B nonimmigrant must have a doctorate or post-doctorate degree, or the foreign equivalent … | 2023-01-11T13:32:06Z | |
| 114-hr-4600 | 114 | hr | 4600 | Support and Defend Our Military Personnel and Their Families Act | Immigration | 2016-02-24 | 2016-02-29 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Thompson, Mike [D-CA-5] | CA | D | T000460 | 8 | Support and Defend Our Military Personnel and Their Families Act This bill states that any person who serves or has served under honorable conditions as a member of the Armed Forces in support of contingency operations shall be eligible for naturalization as if the person had served during a period of presidentially-designated military hostilities. The Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) is amended to extend the period for filing a naturalization application to one year after completion of eligible military service. An alien who is eligible for a family-sponsored immigrant visa and is either the spouse or child of a permanent resident alien who is serving in the Armed Forces shall be exempt from worldwide immigrant visa numerical limitations. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may adjust to permanent resident status an alien who is a parent, spouse, child, son or daughter, or minor sibling of a person who is serving or has served in the Armed Forces under honorable conditions. The bill permits posthumous benefits under specified circumstances. With respect to a removal proceeding under INA: a notice to appear shall not be issued against an alien who serves or has served under honorable conditions in the Armed Forces without prior DHS approval; DHS, in determining whether to issue a notice, shall consider the alien's eligibility for naturalization, military service record, grounds of deportability, and any hardship to the Armed Forces, the alien, and his or her family if the alien were to be placed in removal proceedings; and an alien who serves or has served under honorable conditions in the Armed Forces shall not be removed from the United States on specified grounds. | 2023-01-11T13:32:06Z | |
| 114-hr-4609 | 114 | hr | 4609 | Keeping American Jobs Act | Immigration | 2016-02-24 | 2016-02-29 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Kilmer, Derek [D-WA-6] | WA | D | K000381 | 4 | Keeping American Jobs Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit the admission of an H-1B visa (specialty occupation) nonimmigrant worker if the Department of Labor determines that the H-1B application was filed by the prospective employer for the primary purpose of using one or more U.S. workers to train the H-1B worker in the job duties and responsibilities of the U.S. workers in order to lay off the U.S. workers and move their job or jobs abroad, unless the application states that the employer did not and will not displace a U.S. worker within the period beginning 90 days before and ending 90 days after the date of filing of any visa petition supported by the application. | 2023-01-11T13:32:05Z | |
| 114-hr-4547 | 114 | hr | 4547 | Build the Fence Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-02-11 | 2016-02-23 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security. | House | Rep. Schweikert, David [R-AZ-6] | AZ | R | S001183 | 8 | Build the Fence Act of 2016 This bill amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to direct the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to complete the required southwest border fencing by December 31, 2017. The Secure Fence Act of 2006 is amended to direct DHS to achieve operational control over U.S. international land and maritime borders by the same date. Until such fencing is completed: DHS may not obligate or expend any amounts appropriated or otherwise made available to it for facilities construction or maintenance, vehicle purchases, or other non-essential purchases or acquisitions; and no politically appointed DHS official or senior executive service employee may travel using government aircraft, receive any non-essential training, or receive any bonus pay salary increase. | 2023-01-11T13:32:07Z | |
| 114-s-2540 | 114 | s | 2540 | Fair Day in Court for Kids Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-02-11 | 2016-02-11 | Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S876-877) | Senate | Sen. Reid, Harry [D-NV] | NV | D | R000146 | 28 | Fair Day in Court for Kids Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to authorize the Department of Justice (DOJ) to appoint or provide counsel at government expense to aliens in removal proceedings. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall provide an alien in removal proceedings with all relevant documents in its possession, unless the alien has knowingly waived the right to such documents. In the absence of a waiver a removal proceeding may not proceed until the alien has received, and had time to review, the documents. DOJ may appoint or provide counsel to aliens in any INA proceeding. DHS shall ensure that aliens have access to counsel inside all immigration detention and border facilities. DOJ shall appoint counsel, at government expense if necessary, for an unaccompanied alien child or a particularly vulnerable individual. DHS shall: (1) facilitate access to counsel for all aliens detained in facilities under the supervision of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP); and (2) establish procedures to ensure that legal orientation programs are available for all detained aliens, including aliens held in CBP facilities. DOJ shall develop and administer a two-year pilot program at not fewer than two immigration courts to grant access to legal information to non-detained aliens with pending asylum claims. DHS shall establish a pilot program to increase the court appearance rates of unaccompanied alien children and particularly vulnerable individuals by contracting with nongovernmental, community-based organizations to provide such aliens with case management services. | 2023-01-11T13:32:00Z | |
| 114-hr-4530 | 114 | hr | 4530 | EB-5 Integrity Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-02-10 | 2016-02-29 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Polis, Jared [D-CO-2] | CO | D | P000598 | 2 | EB-5 Integrity Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise the EB-5 (alien investor) regional center program. A regional center shall operate within a defined geographic area, and shall be consistent with the purpose of concentrating pooled investment within such area. The bill prescribes job creation requirements. Alien investor capital may not be used to purchase municipal or any other publicly-available bonds. Approved regional centers must give advance notice to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of significant proposed changes to their organizational structure, ownership, or administration, which must then be approved by DHS. A commercial enterprise associated with a regional center shall file an application with, and obtain approval from, DHS for each investment offering to aliens seeking alien investor classification. Approval of a business plan shall be binding on future adjudication except in cases of fraud, criminal misuse, public or national security, or major errors of law or fact. The bill expands regional center annual statement reporting requirements. The bill also prohibits regional center involvement for persons who have committed certain crimes, human trafficking, controlled substance trafficking, espionage, or terrorist activity. DHS shall suspend or terminate designation of any regional center, or the participation of any new commercial enterprise or job-creating entity, that knowingly involved such a person. Only a U.S. national or lawfully admitted permanent resident may be involved with a regional center. A regional center shall monitor and supervise all offers, purchases, and sales of securities made by associated parties to ensure compliance with U.S. securities laws. The bill establishes the EB-5 Integrity Fund in the Treasury, and prescribes specified fees to be collected from each regional center. Direct and third party promoters must: (1) comply with DHS rules and standards and federal or state securities laws, (2) register with U.S. Citizens… | 2023-01-11T13:32:08Z | |
| 114-s-2538 | 114 | s | 2538 | ICE Agent Support Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-02-10 | 2016-02-10 | Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. | Senate | Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX] | TX | R | C001098 | 1 | ICE Agent Support Act of 2016 This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to refund out of the Immigration Enforcement Account the amount paid out of any appropriation for expenses incurred by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for: identification, investigation, apprehension, detention, and removal of criminal aliens, including providing staffing levels within the Enforcement and Removal Operations division of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; maintenance and updating of systems used by the division to identify and track criminal aliens, deportable aliens, inadmissible aliens, and aliens illegally entering the United States; and purchase of firearms, vehicles, and other safety or apprehension equipment for the division. DHS shall establish the percentage of positions within the division that shall be classified as a criminal investigator position. | 2023-01-11T13:32:00Z | |
| 114-s-2510 | 114 | s | 2510 | ARTS Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-02-08 | 2016-02-08 | Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. | Senate | Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT] | UT | R | H000338 | 1 | Arts Require Timely Service Act of 2016 or the ARTS Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to adjudicate O and P visa petitions (nonimmigrant visas for aliens with extraordinary ability or achievement, and artists and entertainers) within 14 days after receiving such petitions and related documents. The bill grants premium visa processing without charge to a petitioner that is a nonprofits arts organization if DHS does not meet the deadline for adjudicating a visa petition. | 2023-01-11T13:32:01Z | |
| 114-hr-4451 | 114 | hr | 4451 | Border Security Health Initiative Act | Immigration | 2016-02-03 | 2016-02-03 | Referred to the House Committee on Homeland Security. | House | Rep. McSally, Martha [R-AZ-2] | AZ | R | M001197 | 4 | Border Security Health Initiative Act This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to establish a program to decrease the number of Border Patrol agents who are removed from border security operations for the purpose of accompanying to medical treatment facilities ill or injured individuals interdicted by the Border Patrol. Such program shall place appropriate medical personnel from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) at Border Patrol stations along the southwest border to ensure that Border Patrol agents are able to prioritize securing the international borders of the United States. The CBP, in coordination with the Chief Medical Officer of DHS, shall submit a report on implementation of such program, including a list of Border Patrol stations within which the program is operational, statistics on Border Patrol agent hours spent on border security operations that would have otherwise been spent accompanying ill or injured detainees to medical treatment facilities, and an estimation of efficiencies and cost savings from such program. | 2023-01-11T13:32:11Z | |
| 114-s-2449 | 114 | s | 2449 | Equal Protection in Travel Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-01-20 | 2016-01-20 | Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. | Senate | Sen. Flake, Jeff [R-AZ] | AZ | R | F000444 | 3 | Equal Protection in Travel Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate the prohibition against participation in the visa waiver program of an alien who, regardless of whether the alien is a national of a program country, is a national of: (1) Iraq or Syria, (2) a country designated as a country that has repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism, or (3) any other country or area of concern. | 2023-01-11T13:32:14Z | |
| 114-s-2458 | 114 | s | 2458 | A bill to amend section 217(a)(12) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, relating to the restriction of the use of the Visa Waiver Program for aliens who travel to certain countries. | Immigration | 2016-01-20 | 2016-01-20 | Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. | Senate | Sen. Cardin, Benjamin L. [D-MD] | MD | D | C000141 | 0 | This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended by the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015, to include Department of State designation of a country or area as a country or area of concern among the criteria for visa waiver program ineligibility based upon an alien's nationality or presence. Exceptions to program ineligibility shall include include an alien who was present in a prohibited country to perform official duties as an employee of an international organization for a program country. Visa waiver program disqualification under the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015 shall not take effect until 180 days after enactment of such Act for an alien: (1) who, regardless of whether the alien is a national of a program country, is a national of Iraq or Syria, a national of a country designated as supporting terrorism, or a national of any other country or area of concern; or (2) who has been present in such countries or areas on or after March 1, 2011. The Department of Homeland Security or the State Department may waive such prohibition for a period of up to 90 days if either determines that the waiver is in U.S. national security interests. | 2023-01-11T13:32:14Z | |
| 114-hr-4380 | 114 | hr | 4380 | Equal Protection in Travel Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-01-13 | 2016-02-03 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Amash, Justin [R-MI-3] | MI | R | A000367 | 27 | Equal Protection in Travel Act of 2016 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate the prohibition against participation in the visa waiver program of an alien who, regardless of whether the alien is a national of a program country, is a national of: (1) Iraq or Syria, (2) a country designated as a country that has repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism, or (3) any other country or area of concern. | 2023-01-11T13:32:16Z | |
| 114-hr-4391 | 114 | hr | 4391 | Finish the Fence Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-01-13 | 2016-01-22 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security. | House | Rep. Ross, Dennis A. [R-FL-15] | FL | R | R000593 | 0 | Finish the Fence Act of 2016 This bill amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 with respect to construction of border fencing and road improvements to direct the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to complete the required 700-mile southwest border fencing by December 31, 2016. The Secure Fence Act of 2006 is amended to direct DHS, in consultation with state and local officials along the U.S.-Mexico border, to achieve operational control over U.S. international land and maritime borders by December 31, 2016. | 2023-01-11T13:32:16Z | |
| 114-s-2441 | 114 | s | 2441 | Cuban Immigrant Work Opportunity Act of 2016 | Immigration | 2016-01-12 | 2016-01-12 | Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. | Senate | Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL] | FL | R | R000595 | 4 | Cuban Immigrant Work Opportunity Act of 2016 This bill amends the Refugee Education Assistance Act of 1980, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, and the Immigration and Nationality Act to make Cuban nationals who enter the United States on or after the enactment of this Act ineligible for refugee/parolee assistance. The Inspector General of the Social Security Administration shall report to Congress on methods for enforcing the loss of eligibility under title XVI (Supplemental Security Income for the Aged, Blind, and Disabled) of the Social Security Act by persons who are absent from the United States for at least one month. | 2023-01-11T13:32:15Z | |
| 114-hr-4291 | 114 | hr | 4291 | SAFER Act of 2015 | Immigration | 2015-12-18 | 2016-01-15 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Calvert, Ken [R-CA-42] | CA | R | C000059 | 4 | Secure Accountability for Emigres and Refugees Act of 2015 or the SAFER Act of 2015 This bill requires that, before the U.S. refugee admission of a covered alien, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall ensure that such person: has passed a lie detector test; has submitted to DHS biometric identification information, including DNA, which DHS has compared against all relevant databases and determined that the person has no known history of terrorist activity; and does not pose a threat to U.S. national security based on a background check that includes a review of the person's Internet interactions, including social media services. "Covered alien" means an alien applying for U.S. refugee admission who: (1) is a national of Iraq or Syria, (2) has no nationality and whose last habitual residence was in Iraq or Syria, or (3) has been present in Iraq or Syria at any time on or after March 1, 2011. | 2023-01-11T13:32:26Z | |
| 114-hr-4301 | 114 | hr | 4301 | To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to search all public records to determine if an alien is inadmissible to the United States. | Immigration | 2015-12-18 | 2016-01-15 | Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security. | House | Rep. Buchanan, Vern [R-FL-16] | FL | R | B001260 | 26 | This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to search all public records, including Internet sites and social media profiles, to determine if an alien applying for admission to the United States is inadmissible under the Immigration and Nationality Act. | 2023-01-11T13:32:26Z | |
| 114-hr-4303 | 114 | hr | 4303 | Border Security and Accountability Act of 2015 | Immigration | 2015-12-18 | 2016-02-12 | Referred to the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. | House | Rep. Grijalva, Raúl M. [D-AZ-3] | AZ | D | G000551 | 0 | Border Security and Accountability Act 2015 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), together with other specified departments, to submit to Congress and the Government Accountability Office a U.S. border protection strategy. The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 is amended to require that international land border control actions accord with that strategy. DHS shall implement: a monitoring and mitigation plan to address the ecological and environmental impacts of security infrastructure along the international land borders of the United States; and a plan to improve coordination among U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and other federal, state, local, or tribal authorities to improve efforts to combat human smuggling. CBP shall make available to the public information collected on migrant deaths occurring along the U.S.-Mexico border. Except in a national emergency or when required for specific counterterrorism duties, the Armed Forces may not assist in federal, state, and local and civilian law enforcement of immigration laws. DHS shall establish a Border Communities Liaison Office in every patrol sector at the southern and northern borders. The bill prescribes requirements for enhanced border cooperation with Mexico, including in the areas of: (1) border security, (2) human trafficking and smuggling, (3) drug trafficking, (4) gang membership, and (5) violence and border deaths. DHS shall establish a Southern Border Security Task Force. The bill establishes the Southern Border Security Commission. DHS shall: issue policies regarding the use of force by DHS personnel; establish standards for the conditions of confinement for children in CBP custody; and consider safety and family concerns in any action related to the repatriation or prosecution of individuals apprehended for immigration violations. DHS may not establish any new border crossing fees for individuals crossing at land ports of entry a… | 2023-01-11T13:32:25Z |
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CREATE TABLE legislation (
bill_id TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
congress INTEGER,
bill_type TEXT,
bill_number INTEGER,
title TEXT,
policy_area TEXT,
introduced_date TEXT,
latest_action_date TEXT,
latest_action_text TEXT,
origin_chamber TEXT,
sponsor_name TEXT,
sponsor_state TEXT,
sponsor_party TEXT,
sponsor_bioguide_id TEXT,
cosponsor_count INTEGER DEFAULT 0,
summary_text TEXT,
update_date TEXT,
url TEXT
);
CREATE INDEX idx_leg_congress ON legislation(congress);
CREATE INDEX idx_leg_type ON legislation(bill_type);
CREATE INDEX idx_leg_policy ON legislation(policy_area);
CREATE INDEX idx_leg_date ON legislation(introduced_date);
CREATE INDEX idx_leg_sponsor ON legislation(sponsor_name);
CREATE INDEX idx_leg_sponsor_bioguide ON legislation(sponsor_bioguide_id);