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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7822 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7822

   To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act with respect to visa 
                               overstays.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 26, 2024

  Mr. Tony Gonzales of Texas introduced the following bill; which was 
  referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the 
     Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
   To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act with respect to visa 
                               overstays.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Visa Integrity Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. VISA OVERSTAYS CRIMINALIZED.

    (a) In General.--Section 275 of the Immigration and Nationality Act 
(8 U.S.C. 1325) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a) by inserting after ``for a subsequent 
        commission of any such offense'' the following: ``or if the 
        alien was previously convicted of an offense under subsection 
        (e)'';
            (2) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``at least $50 
                and not more than $250'' and inserting ``not less than 
                $500 and not more than $1,000'';
                    (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting after ``in the 
                case of an alien who has been previously subject to a 
                civil penalty under this subsection'' the following: 
                ``or subsection (e)''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(e) An alien who was admitted as a nonimmigrant for an aggregate 
of 10 days or more who has failed to (1) maintain such nonimmigrant 
status, or a change in classification of nonimmigrant status under 
section 248, including complying with the period of stay authorized by 
the Secretary of Homeland Security in connection with such status, or 
(2) comply otherwise with the conditions of such nonimmigrant status, 
shall for the first commission of such a violation, be fined under 
title 18, United States Code, or imprisoned not more than 6 months, or 
both, and, for a subsequent commission of such a violation, or if the 
alien was previously convicted of an offense under subsection (a), be 
fined under such title 18, or imprisoned not more than 2 years, or 
both.
    ``(f) An alien in violation of this subsection (e) shall be subject 
to a civil penalty of (1) not less than $500 and not more than $1,000 
for each violation, or (2) twice the amount specified under paragraph 
(1) in the case of an alien who has been previously subject to a civil 
penalty under subsection (a) or (e). A civil penalty under this 
subsection shall be in addition to, and not in lieu of, any criminal or 
other civil penalties that may be imposed.
    ``(g) If the Secretary of Homeland Security determines on an 
individual case-by-case basis that, because of reasons of a medical 
necessity, public safety, or national security, the alien violated 
subsection (e), the alien shall not be subject to the penalties under 
subsection (e).
    ``(h) In the case of any application or petition by or on behalf of 
an alien for admission to the United States, the Secretary of State or 
the Secretary of Homeland Security, as applicable, shall provide the 
alien with notice of the penalties under this section on receipt of the 
application or petition, and again at the time of admission.''.
    (b) Negotiations by Secretary of Homeland Security.--Not later than 
one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of 
Homeland Security shall seek to negotiate agreements, accords, or 
memoranda of understanding between the United States and Mexico to--
            (1) require the sharing of relevant, reliable, and accurate 
        information within the legal and privacy regimes of both 
        countries, such as information contained on biographic and 
        biometric national security watchlists, certain traveler 
        criminal history records, and immigration violations; and
            (2) requiring the sharing of entry data at the land border 
        such that the entry information from one country could 
        constitute the exit information from another through an 
        integrated entry and exit system.
                                 <all>
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