Nineveh Plain Refugee Act of 2014

Summary: Nineveh Plain Refugee Act of 2014 - Directs the Secretary of State to establish or use existing processes in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Turkey, and Syria through which a qualifying alien in such a country may apply and interview for refugee admission to the United States. Considers such an alien to be a refugee of special humanitarian concern eligible for priority 2 processing under the refugee resettlement priority system.  Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) suspend in-country processes in such a foreign country for up to 90 days, and (2) extend a suspension upon congressional notification.  Directs the Secretary to establish one or more categories of aliens who are or were nationals or residents of a territory controlled by the group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), or any successor name, in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Turkey, or Syria, and who share common characteristics that identify them as targets of persecution in that country on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Provides that:   an alien provided priority 2 processing shall not be counted against annual refugee admission limitations,  no alien shall be denied the opportunity to apply for admission under this Act solely because such alien qualifies as an immediate relative or is eligible for any other immigrant classification,  each denial for refugee status under this Act shall be in writing and shall state the reason for denial,  each qualifying alien who after June 1, 2014, and before the date of enactment of this Act was denied refugee status shall be permitted to reapply for such status, and  if the Secretary determines that an alien in such country who has applied for U.S. refugee admission pursuant to this Act is in imminent danger the Secretary shall make a reasonable effort to provide such alien with protection or the immediate removal from the country.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Nineveh Plain Refugee Act of 2014''.

SEC. 2. IN-COUNTRY PROCESSES FOR CERTAIN ALIENS APPLYING FOR REFUGEE 
              STATUS.

    (a) In-Country Processes.--The Secretary of State, in consultation 
with the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall establish or use 
existing processes in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, 
Turkey, and Syria through which an alien who is located in such a 
country and described in section 3(b) may apply and interview for 
admission to the United States as a refugee under section 207 of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157). Such an alien shall be 
considered a refugee of special humanitarian concern eligible for 
Priority 2 processing under the refugee resettlement priority system.
    (b) Suspension of In-Country Processes.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of State, in consultation 
        with the Secretary of Homeland Security, may suspend the 
        processes under subsection (a) in a foreign country listed in 
        subsection (a) for a period not to exceed 90 days, if the 
        Secretary determines that such a suspension is appropriate.
            (2) Extension.--The Secretary of State, in consultation 
        with the Secretary of Homeland Security, may extend a 
        suspension under paragraph (1) upon notification to the 
        Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Representatives, the 
        Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives, 
        the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate, and the Committee 
        on Foreign Relations of the Senate.
            (3) Report.--The Secretary of State shall submit to the 
        committees listed in paragraph (2) a report that describes the 
        reason for each suspension and extension under this subsection.

SEC. 3. ALIENS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR ADMISSION TO THE UNITED STATES AS 
              A REFUGEE USING IN-COUNTRY PROCESSES.

    (a) In General.--In the case of an alien who is within a category 
of aliens established under subsection (b), the alien may establish, 
for purposes of admission as a refugee under section 207 of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157), that the alien has a 
well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, 
nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political 
opinion by asserting such a fear and asserting a credible basis for 
concern about the possibility of such persecution.
    (b) Establishment of Categories.--For purposes of subsection (a), 
the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland 
Security, shall establish one or more categories of aliens who are or 
were nationals or residents of a territory controlled by the group 
commonly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (or any 
successor name) in Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, Turkey, 
or Syria and who share common characteristics that identify them as 
targets of persecution in that country on account of race, religion, 
nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political 
opinion.
    (c) Exclusion From Numerical Limitations.--Aliens provided Priority 
2 processing under the refugee resettlement priority system under this 
section shall not be counted against any numerical limitation under 
section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157) for 
fiscal years 2014 and 2015.
    (d) Eligibility for Admission as Refugee.--No alien shall be denied 
the opportunity to apply for admission under this section solely 
because such alien qualifies as an immediate relative or is eligible 
for any other immigrant classification.
    (e) Written Reasons for Denials of Refugee Status.--Each decision 
to deny an application for refugee status of an alien under this 
section shall be in writing and shall state, to the maximum extent 
feasible, the reason for the denial.
    (f) Permitting Certain Aliens Within Categories To Reapply for 
Refugee Status.--Each alien described in subsection (b) who after, June 
1, 2014, and before the date of the enactment of this Act was denied 
refugee status shall be permitted to reapply for such status. Such an 
application shall be determined taking into account the application of 
this Act.
    (g) Protection of Aliens.--In the case that the Secretary of State, 
in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security, determines 
that an alien who is located in a foreign country listed in section 
2(a) and described in subsection (b) who has applied for admission to 
the United States as a refugee under section 207 of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157) using the processes under this Act is 
in imminent danger, the Secretary shall make a reasonable effort to 
provide such alien with protection or the immediate removal from that 
country.

SEC. 4. REPORTS.

    (a) Initial Report.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the 
Secretary of Homeland Security, shall submit to the Committee on the 
Judiciary of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Foreign 
Affairs of the House of Representatives, the Committee on the Judiciary 
of the Senate, and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a 
report containing plans to expedite the processing of applications for 
admission to the United States as refugee under section 207 of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157) of aliens described in 
section 3(b) who apply for admission using the processes under the Act, 
including information relating to--
            (1) expediting the processing of such refugees for 
        resettlement, including through temporary expansion of the 
        Refugee Corps of United States Citizenship and Immigration 
        Services;
            (2) increasing the number of personnel of the Department of 
        State and the Department of Homeland Security devoted to the 
        processing of such applications;
            (3) enhancing existing systems for conducting background 
        and security checks of such aliens; and
            (4) the projections of the Secretary for the number of 
        refugee interviews that will be conducted in each foreign 
        country listed in section 2(a) in each month of fiscal years 
        2015 and 2016.
    (b) Annual Report.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter through 2016, the 
Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland 
Security, shall submit to Congress an unclassified report, with a 
classified annex if necessary, which includes--
            (1) an assessment of the financial, security, and personnel 
        considerations and resources necessary to carry out the 
        provisions of this Act;
            (2) the number of aliens described in section 3(b);
            (3) the number of such aliens who have applied for 
        admission to the United States as a refugee under section 207 
        of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157) using 
        the processes under this Act; and
            (4) in the case of such applications pending for longer 
        than 180 days, the reason that refugee status has not been 
        granted in each such case.