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Bill· SS. 301 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2019
E-Verify Act of 2019 This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop an electronic employment eligibility verification system modeled after and to replace E-Verify, which allows employers and recruiters to verify the immigration status of new hires and employees. The bill also requires all employers to use this new system and addresses other related issues. Currently, only some employers, such as federal contractors, are required to use E-Verify. The bill phases in the mandatory use of the system with different deadlines for various types of employers to start using the system. Generally, all employers must use the system within four years of the system's implementation. An employer who takes an employment-related action based on good faith reliance on the system shall not be liable in a civil or criminal case based on that action. DHS shall (1) develop various tools, including a photo checking tool for employers and a tool for an individuals to verify their own status; (2) establish procedures to allow individuals to stop the system from using identifying information belonging to that individual or that individual's child; (3) establish procedures to allow individuals to file complaints about violations relating to the employment of unauthorized aliens; and (4) provide grants to states that allow DHS to access driver's license information to use with the system. The bill also increases civil and criminal penalties related to employing unauthorized aliens. Employers convicted of hiring unauthorized aliens may be debarred from receiving federal contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements.
Bill· SS. 293 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2019
Securing the Border and Making Drug Cartels Pay for it Act This bill establishes various ways for funding border security enhancements, and increases the government's burden of proof in civil forfeiture cases. The bill establishes the Secure America Financing Corporation, which shall be authorized to issue Secure America Bonds. The proceeds from such bonds shall be available to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Border Patrol for security measures, including physical barriers, along the southwest border. Such funds may also be used for data analytics that may lead to increased drug seizures near the border. Forfeited funds related to a felony conviction for a continuing enterprise involved in the intentional distribution of an imported controlled substance shall be used for security measures, including physical barriers, along the U.S.-Mexico border. The bill also requires the government, when bringing an action for the civil forfeiture of property, to establish its case by clear and convincing evidence, where it is currently only required to meet the lower preponderance of the evidence standard. Seized property may be released pending trial in certain situations, but the bill establishes that currency or contraband likely to belong to or used to support a foreign illegal trafficking organization shall not be released.
Bill· SS. 292 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2019
Keep Families Together Act This bill limits the separation of families at or near U.S. borders or ports of entry. The Departments of Homeland Security (DHS), Justice, and Health and Human Services shall not separate a child from a parent or legal guardian at a port of entry or within 100 miles of a U.S. border unless a state court terminates the parent or legal guardian's rights; a state child welfare agency or court determines it is in the child's best interests to be removed; or the child is determined to be a trafficking victim or at risk of becoming one, the accompanying adult is most likely not the parent or legal guardian, or the child is in danger of abuse or neglect. An agency may not separate a child from a parent or legal guardian solely to deter migration into the United States or to promote compliance with immigration laws. DHS shall develop (1) training related to the bill's family separation requirements, and (2) guidance for how parents and legal guardians may locate a separated child. DHS shall provide parents and legal guardians periodic status updates about a separated child. The Government Accountability Office shall report to Congress on the criminal prosecution of asylum seekers.
Bill· SS. 285 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 31 January 2019
Sarah's Law This bill directs U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States and has been charged with a crime that resulted in the death or serious bodily injury of another person. ICE shall make reasonable efforts to obtain information about the identity of any victims of the crimes for which such alien was charged or convicted. It shall provide the victim, or the 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.
Bill· HRH.R. 904 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2019
New IDEA Act or the New Illegal Deduction Elimination Act This bill denies a tax deduction for wages and benefits paid to or on behalf of an unauthorized alien. The bill also extends to six years the period for assessing and collecting underpayments of tax due to deductions claimed for wages paid to unauthorized aliens. The Social Security Administration (SSA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of the Treasury must jointly establish a program to share information that may lead to the identification of unauthorized aliens. Treasury must provide information to DHS and the SSA regarding employers who paid nondeductible wages to unauthorized aliens and the aliens to whom such wages were paid. The bill amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to (1) make permanent the E-Verify Program for verifying the employment eligibility of alien workers, (2) apply such program to current employees in addition to new hires, (3) establish a rebuttable presumption that employers who participate in the E-Verify Program and obtain confirmation of identity and employment eligibility have not violated hiring requirements under such Act, and (4) allow employers participating in the E-Verify Program to make a conditional offer of employment pending final verification of the identity and employment eligibility of the job applicant.
Bill· HRH.R. 891 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2019
Nuclear Family Priority Act This bill imposes limits on various types of family-sponsored immigration visas. The alien parents of U.S. citizens shall not qualify for visas for "immediate relatives," which are not subject to any direct numerical limits. Currently, the spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents of citizens are considered immediate relatives. The bill also creates a nonimmigrant visa for such parents of citizens. Such aliens shall not be eligible for employment or any public benefits. The bill also reduces the baseline annual cap for family-sponsored visas from 480,000 to 88,000, and revises the methods for calculating the cap. Preference allocations (visa categories subject to various annual caps) for various family-sponsored visas shall be eliminated, including those for the siblings and married children of citizens. The bill provides for a preference allocation for the unmarried children under 21 and spouses of permanent alien residents, subject to the 88,000 annual cap.
Bill· HRH.R. 883 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2019
Families Belong Together Act This bill grants lawful permanent resident status to certain aliens who were separated from immediate family members by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Children and their legal guardians or parents shall be eligible if DHS separated them and failed to demonstrate in a hearing that the legal guardian or parent was unfit or presented a danger to the child. Such a child shall be eligible whether he or she remained in the custody of DHS or the Office of Refugee Settlement, was released to a sponsor, or repatriated to his or her country of origin. Individuals who are inadmissible for various grounds, including those related to criminal activity or security concerns, shall not be eligible. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services shall grant all applications from eligible individuals for humanitarian parole or for lawful permanent resident status, and no application fees may be charged.
Bill· HRH.R. 928 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2019
Immigrant Veterans Eligibility Tracking System (I-VETS) Act This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to identify aliens serving or have served in the U.S. Armed Forces on active duty or reserve components, when such an alien is applying for an immigration benefit or is placed in an immigration enforcement proceeding. DHS shall annotate its records to reflect this service and to allow tracking of the immigration outcomes of such aliens.
Bill· SS. 271 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2019
Families Belong Together Act This bill grants lawful permanent resident status to certain aliens who were separated from immediate family members by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Children and their legal guardians or parents shall be eligible if DHS separated them and failed to demonstrate in a hearing that the legal guardian or parent was unfit or presented a danger to the child. Such a child shall be eligible whether he or she remained in the custody of DHS or the Office of Refugee Settlement, was released to a sponsor, or repatriated to his or her country of origin. Individuals who are inadmissible for various grounds, including those related to criminal activity or security concerns, shall not be eligible. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services shall grant all applications from eligible individuals for humanitarian parole or for lawful permanent resident status, and no application fees may be charged.
Bill· SS. 263 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2019
Full Fair and Complete Exchange Act or the FACE Act This bill requires the federal government to compensate land owners the full fair market value for land seized for the construction of any barrier or related infrastructure at the U.S.-Mexico border. The government shall not take possession of such land before the compensation has been received and all relevant court proceedings have been completed. For tribal land, the government shall secure the approval of all relevant tribal stakeholders before taking possession. The bill also imposes various consultation and public meeting requirements related to such land acquisitions.
Bill· SS. 254 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2019
This bill revokes the Department of Homeland Security's authority to waive federal law to facilitate the construction of border barriers.
Bill· HRH.R. 810 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2019
This bill prohibits making funds, resources, or fees available to any federal agency to implement or enforce Executive Order 13780 and Presidential Proclamation 9645, which suspended individuals from several countries of concern, including Chad, Iran, and Libya, from entering the United States. The Proclamation also provided for enhanced U.S. vetting capacities.
Bill· SS. 246 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2019
This bill prohibits making funds, resources, or fees available to any federal agency to implement or enforce Executive Order 13780 and Presidential Proclamation 9645, which suspended individuals from several countries of concern, including Chad, Iran, and Libya, from entering the United States. The Proclamation also provided for enhanced U.S. vetting capacities.
Resolution· SRESS.Res. 32 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2019
This resolution recognizes January 27, 2019, as the second anniversary of the executive order suspending the admission of individuals and refugees from specified Muslim-majority countries. It also affirms this Nation's proud history of refugee settlement, emphasizes the importance of the United States Refugee Admissions Program as a critical tool for U.S. global leadership, and calls upon the U.S. government to resettle a robust number of refugees to meet its share of the global need during FY2019-FY2020.
Bill· HRH.R. 798 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2019
Returning Worker Accountability Act of 2019 This bill exempts from the annual cap on nonimmigrant H-2B visas (temporary nonagricultural services) all returning workers who were already counted toward such cap during any of the preceding three fiscal years.
Bill· HRH.R. 796 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2019
Savings Through Security Act This bill provides appropriations to the Department of Homeland Security for the procurement and deployment of infrastructure, technology, and manpower to secure the international border between the United States and Mexico. The bill also requires specified federal agencies to (1) report on costs associated with expenditures on unauthorized aliens, and (2) remit to the Treasury certain savings that are attributable to the funds provided by this bill to secure the international border between the United States and Mexico.
Bill· HRH.R. 774 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2019
Expatriate Terrorist Act This bill establishes that certain acts deemed to support terrorism shall be grounds to lose U.S. nationality. Such acts include voluntarily (1) making a formal declaration of allegiance to a foreign terrorist organization, (2) serving in such an organization's armed forces, or (3) providing training or material assistance to such an organization. The Department of State shall not issue a passport to any individual who is a member or attempting to become a member of a foreign terrorist organization, and shall revoke any passport belonging to such an individual.
Bill· HRH.R. 773 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2019
This bill eliminates EB-5 visas and the EB-5 regional center pilot program. The EB-5 visa provides lawful permanent residence to foreign nationals who invest (directly or through a regional center) a specified amount of capital in a new commercial enterprise in the United States and create at least 10 jobs.
Bill· HRH.R. 772 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2019
Religious Worker Visa Reciprocity Act of 2019 This bill places restrictions on the issuance of special immigrant visas for religious workers. No petition for such a visa may be approved if the alien's country of nationality (1) is identified in the 2018 International Religious Freedom Report as a Country of Particular Concern or a country where religious freedom is of significant interest or particular concern, or (2) does not provide similar immigration treatment to U.S. nationals.
Bill· HRH.R. 787 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2019
SOAR Reauthorization Act of 2019 This bill reauthorizes through FY2024 and amends the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Program, which provides education funding for the District of Columbia, including for private school vouchers, public schools, and public charter schools. The bill requires participating private schools to be fully accredited by (1) an accrediting body with jurisdiction in the District that is recognized by the Student and Visitor Exchange English Language Program administered by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or (2) any international accrediting body designated by the Department of Education (ED). The bill revises the manner in which tutoring services provided under the program are funded. The bill revises several requirements concerning SOAR evaluations, including concerning (1) frequency; (2) ED's and the Institute of Education Sciences' duties; and (3) the issues to be evaluated, including high school and college performance measurements.
Bill· HRH.R. 768 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2019
No Funding for Sanctuary Campuses Act This bill makes an institution of higher education (IHE) that is a sanctuary campus ineligible for federal student aid funds. In general, a sanctuary campus is an IHE that has a policy of restricting its personnel from cooperating with federal officials in enforcing the immigration laws and that harbors and provides educational benefits to aliens who lack a lawful immigration status. The Department of Homeland Security must transmit to the Department of Education and publish in the Federal Register notice of a determination that an IHE is a sanctuary campus. The bill expresses the sense of Congress that providing in-state tuition to an alien who lacks lawful immigration status in the United States creates an incentive for illegal immigration and encourages and induces aliens to come to, enter, or reside in the United States.
Bill· SS. 201 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 24 January 2019
Every Person Counts Act This bill requires the census to tabulate the total number of persons in each state and prohibits the Bureau of the Census from including any question or otherwise eliciting any information regarding U.S. citizenship or immigration status.
Law· HJRESH.J.Res. 31 (116th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2019
This joint resolution provides continuing FY2019 appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through the earlier of February 28, 2019, or the enactment of the applicable appropriations legislation. It is known as a continuing resolution (CR) and ends the partial DHS shutdown that began on December 22, 2018, because the existing CR expired and the FY2019 DHS appropriations bill has not been enacted. The CR also makes appropriations available, pursuant to a requirement under current law, to compensate DHS employees furloughed as a result of any lapse in appropriations that began on or about December 22, 2018; reimburses or compensates certain states, federal grantees, and furloughed state employees for the lapse in DHS appropriations; and ratifies and approves certain obligations incurred in anticipation of the appropriations made and the authority granted by this joint resolution. Additionally, the CR has the effect of extending through February 28, 2019, several immigration programs and authorities that were extended in prior CRs and expired on December 21, 2018.
Bill· SS. 197 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 January 2019
Protect DREAMer Confidentiality Act of 2019 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to prevent disclosing information from applications to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), except to implement the program. Application information may be shared only to identify or prevent fraudulent claims, for particularized national security purposes relating to the applicant, or to investigate or prosecute a felony not related to immigration status. The bill also prohibits DHS from referring any individual with deferred action status to ICE, CBP, the Department of Justice, or any law enforcement agency.
Bill· HRH.R. 656 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 2019
DREAMers, Immigrants, and Refugees (DIRe) Legal Aid Act This bill directs the Department of Justice to make grants to nonprofit legal services providers to provide immigration law-related services to certain aliens facing removal or at risk of being denied entry into the United States. The services shall be available to an alien who (1) is lawfully admitted for permanent residence, (2) has received Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status, or (3) qualifies for admission as a refugee or whose spouse or parent so qualifies. The Department of Homeland Security shall report to Congress about the immigration outcomes of aliens who have legal representation compared to those who do not.
Bill· HRH.R. 641 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 2019
Agricultural Worker Program Act of 2019 This bill establishes a program for alien agricultural workers to obtain temporary resident status ("blue card status") and procedures to obtain permanent resident status. An alien shall qualify for the status if he or she performed the required amount of qualified agricultural work. The Department of Homeland Security may grant blue card status to qualified individuals who pass security checks and are not disqualified for various reasons, such as an aggravated felony conviction. DHS may waive certain disqualifications for humanitarian or public interest reasons. Blue card holders shall be authorized for employment in the United States and travel outside the United States. Such individuals shall be ineligible for various federal benefits, including the healthcare premium assistance tax credit. Individuals going through deportation or removal proceedings shall be given a chance to apply for blue card status if they qualify. Blue card holders may apply for permanent resident status, subject to various requirements, including work requirements over a specified time period and payment of federal taxes. Blue card status shall not last longer than eight years.
Bill· HRH.R. 668 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 2019
American Dream Employment Act of 201 9 This bill permits the compensation of congressional employees who have been issued employment authorization documents under the Department of Homeland Security Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program. The program enables many unlawfully present aliens who came to the United States as children to be granted deferred action (a type of relief from removal which does not confer immigration status) and work authorization.
Bill· SS. 188 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 2019
Border, Law Enforcement, Operational Control, and Sovereignty Act of 2019 This bill allocates funds from certain duties imposed on Chinese goods toward the construction of physical barriers and roads along the southwest border of the United States. Such funds shall be equivalent to 50% of certain duties imposed in response to Chinese actions that violate a trade agreement or impose an unjustifiable restriction on U.S. commerce. The funds shall be available to the Department of Homeland Security for such border construction without further appropriation.
Bill· SS. 175 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 17 January 2019
Agricultural Worker Program Act of 2019 This bill establishes a program for alien agricultural workers to obtain temporary resident status ("blue card status") and procedures to obtain permanent resident status. An alien shall qualify for the status if he or she performed the required amount of qualified agricultural work. The Department of Homeland Security may grant blue card status to qualified individuals who pass security checks and are not disqualified for various reasons, such as an aggravated felony conviction. DHS may waive certain disqualifications for humanitarian or public interest reasons. Blue card holders shall be authorized for employment in the United States and travel outside the United States. Such individuals shall be ineligible for various federal benefits, including the healthcare premium assistance tax credit. Individuals going through deportation or removal proceedings shall be given a chance to apply for blue card status if they qualify. Blue card holders may apply for permanent resident status, subject to various requirements, including work requirements over a specified time period and payment of federal taxes. Blue card status shall not last longer than eight years.
Bill· HRH.R. 590 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2019
Freedom of Religion Act of 2019 This bill establishes that an alien may not be denied entry, reentry, or admission to the United States, or any other immigration benefit, because of the alien's religion or lack of religious beliefs. This bill shall not affect the authority of various government agencies or immigration officers to determine whether a particular individual may pose a threat to national security.
Bill· HRH.R. 586 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2019
Fix the Immigration Loopholes Act This bill modifies immigration law provisions relating to unaccompanied alien minors and to asylum seekers. For certain unaccompanied inadmissible alien children, generally those not at risk of being trafficking victims nor having a fear of persecution, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall repatriate the child. Currently, only inadmissible unaccompanied aliens from neighboring countries are subject to repatriation, and DHS has discretion whether to repatriate. When HHS releases an unaccompanied child to an individual, it shall provide DHS with certain information about that individual, including Social Security number and immigration status. The bill amends the definition of "credible fear of persecution" to require that such fear can be established by statements that are more probable than not. The bill also imposes certain rules relating to credible fear interviews, including requirements for recordings and interpreters. If an alien is granted asylum because of fear of persecution in a country, the alien is deemed to have renounced asylum status by returning to that country, if there has been no change in the country's conditions. DHS may waive such renunciation if there was a compelling reason for the return. The bill expands the definition of a frivolous asylum application to include an application so insufficient in substance that it is clear that it was filed to delay removal or seek employment authorization. Any individual who knowingly and willfully makes materially false statements or uses fraudulent documents in asylum-related proceedings shall be fined or imprisoned up to 10 years, or both.
Bill· HRH.R. 623 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2019
This bill establishes that an alien authorized for employment under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program shall be deemed a person who owes allegiance to the United States, for the purpose of qualifying for employment in the office of a Member of the House of Representatives.
Bill· SS. 166 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2019
This bill provides for protected presence status for certain types of aliens and mandatory appropriations for immigration enforcement. The Department of Homeland Security shall grant provisional protected presence status to a qualified alien who applies for such status, which prevents removal from the United States and provides employment authorization. Such status shall be effective for three years from the bill's enactment. To qualify for such status, the alien shall be a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient who was born after June 15, 1981, and entered the United States before age 16. The bill imposes other requirements, including enrolling in or having completed various types of schooling or military service. The bill also provides for renewable provisional protected presence status for aliens who had temporary protected status or deferred enforced departure status on or before October 1, 2017. Renewable provisional protected presence status shall be granted for three years upon a successful application and is renewable indefinitely. Both types of protected presence status are limited to aliens who have not been convicted of various crimes, do not pose a threat to national security, and have been physically present in the country for a certain amount of time.
Bill· HRH.R. 560 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2019
Northern Mariana Islands Residents Relief Act This bill grants Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Resident status to certain aliens who have resided continuously and lawfully in the CNMI since November 28, 2009. An individual with such status shall be (1) authorized to work in the CNMI; (2) issued travel documentation; and (3) inadmissible to the United States at any port of entry outside of the CNMI, with the exception of Guam in certain instances.
Bill· HRH.R. 565 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2019
Advancing Mutual Interests and Growing Our Success Act or the AMIGOS Act This bill makes Portuguese nationals eligible for E-1 and E-2 nonimmigrant visas if the government of Portugal provides similar nonimmigrant status to U.S. nationals. An E-1 visa is for individuals entering the U.S. to engage in international trade, while an E-2 visa is for individuals investing a substantial amount of capital in the U.S. Both are limited to nationals from countries that have a treaty of commerce and navigation with the United States.
Bill· HRH.R. 549 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2019
Venezuela TPS Act of 2019 This bill addresses the migration of Venezuelan nationals by permitting them to qualify for temporary protected status, which prevents their removal from the United States and allows them to obtain employment and travel authorization.
Law· HRH.R. 559 (116th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2019
Northern Mariana Islands Long-Term Legal Residents Relief Act This bill grants Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Resident status to certain aliens who have resided continuously and lawfully in the CNMI since November 28, 2009.
Bill· HRH.R. 574 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2019
Equal Protection of Unaccompanied Minors Act This bill amends rules for the treatment of unaccompanied alien children and asylum-seeking families, and for detaining and removal of various types of aliens. The bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to return an inadmissible unaccompanied child to the child's country of nationality or last habitual residence, where currently DHS has discretion to do so. Interviews with unaccompanied alien children shall be conducted by those with specialized training for interviewing child trafficking victims. Before placing an alien child with an individual, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall provide DHS with various information, including the individual's immigration status and contact information. DHS shall initiate removal proceedings if the individual is unlawfully present in the United States. Under the bill, unaccompanied alien children in DHS or HHS custody shall have access to counsel in legal proceedings, where currently such children shall have counsel. DHS shall have authority to extend the detention periods for various categories of removable aliens. The bill also expands the definitions of various types of crimes, such as those related to explosive materials, that are aggravated felonies or crimes of violence for immigration purposes. Aliens associated with criminal gangs shall be inadmissible to the United States and deportable. The bill directs DHS, the Department of Justice, and HHS to maintain facilities for housing asylum applicants and their children, and increases the number of immigration judges and Board of Immigration Appeals attorneys and necessary support staff.
Bill· HRH.R. 557 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2019
Protect Patriot Spouses Act This bill makes certain alien military spouses eligible for adjustment to permanent residence status. An eligible alien shall be an individual who is or was a spouse of a U.S. citizen who served in the U.S. Armed Forces, either on active duty or in a reserve component. If the U.S. citizen has been discharged from the Armed Forces, such discharge must be under honorable conditions. Certain factors that would otherwise make an alien inadmissible, such as having entered the United States without being admitted, shall not make such an alien spouse ineligible for permanent residence status under the bill. The Department of Homeland Security may also waive certain factors that would otherwise make an alien inadmissible, such as having misrepresented a material fact to secure a visa, if the alien does not pose a threat to the public and has not committed any crimes that are unrelated to immigration status.
Bill· HRH.R. 546 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2019
Border Bonds for America Act of 2019 This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to issue up to $5 billion in bonds in a fiscal year, with proceeds going into a trust fund for the construction of reinforced fencing, physical barriers, and related infrastructure for the southwest border with Mexico. Treasury may issue such bonds for 30 years from the bill's enactment date. The bill also authorizes Treasury to accept gifts of money for the same purpose.
Bill· SS. 135 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2019
Prioritizing Help to Businesses Act This bill authorizes additional H-2B visas for temporary nonagricultural workers in states with relatively low unemployment. Currently, such visas are capped nationally at 66,000 a year. For positions in states that had a seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 3.5% or lower in three of the five most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics monthly reports issued in the previous fiscal year, a certain number of H-2B visas may be issued that don't count against the 66,000 per year cap. For such exempted H-2B visas, a state may receive each year no more than 125% of the number of visas for aliens working in the state in the last completed fiscal year or 2,500, whichever is less.
Bill· SS. 131 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2019
Protect Medicaid Act This bill prohibits federal payment under Medicaid for the administrative costs of providing health benefits to noncitizens who are ineligible for Medicaid based on their immigration status. The Department of Health and Human Services must report on specified information regarding states that provide health benefits to such individuals.
Bill· HRH.R. 541 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2019
Keep Families Together Act This bill limits the separation of families at or near U.S borders or ports of entry and imposes limits on the prosecution of asylum seekers. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Justice (DOJ), and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall not separate a child from a legal guardian at a port of entry or within 100 miles of a U.S. border unless a state court terminates the legal guardian's rights; a state child welfare agency or court determines it is in the child's best interests to be removed; or the child is determined to be a trafficking victim or at risk of becoming one, the accompanying adult is most likely not the legal guardian, or the child is in danger of abuse or neglect. Such separation shall end unless a licensed independent child welfare expert authorizes the separation within 48 hours. DHS, DOJ, or HHS may not separate a child from a legal guardian solely to deter migration into the United States or to promote compliance with immigration laws. DHS shall develop (1) training related to the bill's family separation requirements, and (2) guidance for how legal guardians may locate a separated child. HHS shall provide legal guardians weekly status updates about a separated child. An asylum seeker who has expressed a credible or reasonable fear of persecution may not be prosecuted for certain immigration law violations until the asylum application has been finally adjudicated.
Bill· HRH.R. 532 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2019
Alternatives to Detention Act of 2019 This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish programs for providing alternatives to detaining individuals under the immigration laws, including community-based supervision and community support programs. DHS may not detain and must place in an alternative detention program individuals deemed members of a vulnerable population (e.g., asylum seekers, pregnant or nursing women, or crime victims), a parent of a child under age 18, or a caregiver. DHS shall not use alternative detention programs for (1) aliens subject to mandatory detention, or (2) aliens where release on bond or recognizance is deemed to be sufficient. DHS shall establish the position of Coordinator of Alternatives to Detention and Family Reunification to coordinate the use of alternative detention programs and to reunify parents with children separated from them. Executive departments shall cooperate with the coordinator to the greatest extent practicable to facilitate the performance of the coordinator's mission.
Law· HJRESH.J.Res. 28 (116th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2019
Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2019 This joint resolution provides continuing FY2019 appropriations to several federal agencies through the earlier of February 28, 2019, or the enactment of the applicable appropriations legislation. It is known as a continuing resolution (CR) and ends the partial government shutdown that began after the existing CR expired on December 21, 2018, because seven of the remaining FY2019 appropriations bills have not been enacted. (Five of the FY2019 appropriations bills were enacted last year, including the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2019; the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019; the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019; the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2019; and the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019.) Additionally, the CR has the effect of extending through February 28, 2019, several authorities and programs that were extended in prior CRs, including the Violence Against Women Act, the authority for the Environmental Protection Agency to collect and spend certain fees related to pesticides, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, and several authorities related to immigration.
Bill· HJRESH.J.Res. 27 (116th)failed
United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2019
Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act, 2019 This joint resolution provides continuing FY2019 appropriations to several federal agencies through the earlier of February 1, 2019, or the enactment of the applicable appropriations legislation. It is known as a continuing resolution (CR) and ends the partial government shutdown that began after the existing CR expired on December 21, 2018, because seven of the remaining FY2019 appropriations bills have not been enacted. (Five of the FY2019 appropriations bills were enacted last year, including the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2019; the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019; the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019; the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2019; and the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2019.) Additionally, the CR has the effect of extending through February 1, 2019, several authorities and programs that were extended in prior CRs, including the Violence Against Women Act, the authority for the Environmental Protection Agency to collect and spend certain fees related to pesticides, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, and several authorities related to immigration.
Bill· HRH.R. 523 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2019
This bill makes it a criminal offense to overstay a visa. For the first offense, the overstaying alien shall be fined or imprisoned up to six months, or both. For each subsequent offense, the alien shall be fined or imprisoned up to two years, or both. The Department of Homeland Security may make case-by-case exceptions for medical necessity, public safety, or national security. Aliens who overstay a visa shall be barred from admission into the United States and may not be granted a visa. For the first offense, the overstaying alien shall be barred from admission for 5 years and barred from receiving a visa for 10 years. For a subsequent offense, the alien shall be permanently barred from admission and from getting a visa. If an alien's visa is revoked, all valid visas in that alien's possession are automatically cancelled. The bill expands the types of removal proceedings where an alien shall have the right to counsel. The government shall not bear the expense for such counsel. The Department of State may share visa and entry permit-related records with foreign governments on a case-by-case basis, if it is in the interests of the United States to do so. The State Department shall have access to National Crime Information Center files for determining whether visas for certain applicants should be granted.
Bill· HRH.R. 522 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2019
No Walls Act This bill prohibits using available funds to build any new border barriers through a declaration of a national emergency. It also prohibits using such funds to declare a national emergency with respect to immigration concerns at the U.S.-Mexico border. This restriction shall be enforced during a lapse in the appropriations of any federal agency.
Bill· HRH.R. 517 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2019
Closing Asylum Loopholes Act This bill requires an alien's "credible fear of persecution" to be more probable than not in order to be eligible for asylum. It also directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to ensure that the questions asked in expedited removal proceedings are done so in a uniform manner, and to record interviews in expedited removal and asylum proceedings. If an asylum seeker needs an interpreter, DHS shall ensure that a competent interpreter is used who is not affiliated with the government of the country the alien is seeking asylum frrom.
Bill· HRH.R. 516 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2019
Ending Sanctuary Cities Act of 2019 This bill makes state or local governments that violate immigration laws ineligible for federal financial assistance. A governmental entity shall be ineligible if it violates federal law by prohibiting its officials from communicating with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) about the immigration status of any individual, restricts compliance with DHS detainer requests, or has any laws or policies that violate immigration laws. A DHS detainer request is an order or request to a state or local government to (1) temporarily hold or transport an alien for transfer into federal custody, or (2) notify DHS before releasing an alien from custody. A government or law enforcement officer that complies with a DHS detainer request shall be acting under the color of federal authority, for the purposes of liability or immunity in a lawsuit filed by the detained individual. The bill makes it unlawful for a state or local government to discharge or discriminate against one of its law enforcement officers for complying with a DHS retainer request.