I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8073 

To provide for a limitation on obligation and expenditure of funds for bilateral 

economic assistance to the Republic of El Salvador, the Republic of 

Guatemala, and the Republic of Honduras. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 18, 2024 

Ms. MACE (for herself, Mr. ROSENDALE, and Mr. GOODEN of Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 

Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, 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 provide for a limitation on obligation and expenditure 

of funds for bilateral economic assistance to the Republic 

of El Salvador, the Republic of Guatemala, and the 

Republic of Honduras. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Northern Triangle 

5 Asylum Cooperative Agreement Reimplementation Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. LIMITATION ON OBLIGATION AND EXPENDITURE 

2 OF FUNDS. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Beginning on the date that is 180 

4 days after the date of the enactment of this Act— 

5 (1) none of the funds authorized to be appro6 priated or otherwise made available for bilateral eco7 nomic assistance under part I of the Foreign Assist8 ance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) may be 

9 obligated or expended for the provision of assistance 

10 to the Republic of El Salvador until the Secretary of 

11 State submits to Congress a certification described 

12 in subsection (b)(1); 

13 (2) none of the funds authorized to be appro14 priated or otherwise made available for bilateral eco15 nomic assistance under part I of the Foreign Assist16 ance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) may be 

17 obligated or expended for the provision of assistance 

18 to the Republic of Guatemala until the Secretary of 

19 State submits to Congress a certification described 

20 in subsection (b)(2); and 

21 (3) none of the funds authorized to be appro22 priated or otherwise made available for bilateral eco23 nomic assistance under part I of the Foreign Assist24 ance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151 et seq.) may be 

25 obligated or expended for the provision of assistance 

26 to the Republic of Honduras until the Secretary of 


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1 State submits to Congress a certification described 

2 in subsection (b)(3). 

3 (b) CERTIFICATION.—A certification referred to in 

4 subsection (a) is a certification that— 

5 (1) for the purposes of subsection (a)(1), there 

6 is entered into force an agreement between the Gov7 ernment of the United States of America and the 

8 Government of the Republic of El Salvador that con9 tains terms and conditions that are substantially 

10 similar to the terms and conditions contained in the 

11 Agreement Between the United States of America 

12 and the Government of the Republic of El Salvador 

13 for Cooperation in the Examination of Protection 

14 Claims, signed on September 30, 2019, and termi15 nated on August 4, 2021; 

16 (2) for the purposes of subsection (a)(2), there 

17 is entered into force an agreement between the Gov18 ernment of the United States of America and the 

19 Government of the Republic of Guatemala that con20 tains terms and conditions that are substantially 

21 similar to the terms and conditions contained in the 

22 Agreement Between the United States of America 

23 and the Government of the Republic of Guatemala 

24 on Cooperation Regarding the Examination of ProVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:03 May 01, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8073.IH H8073

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1 tection Claims, signed on July 26, 2019, and termi2 nated on May 4, 2021; and 

3 (3) for the purposes of subsection (a)(3), there 

4 is entered into force an agreement between the Gov5 ernment of the United States of America and the 

6 Government of the Republic of Honduras that con7 tains terms and conditions that are substantially 

8 similar to the terms and conditions contained in the 

9 Agreement Between the United States of America 

10 and the Government of the Republic of Honduras on 

11 Cooperation in the Examination of Protection 

12 Claims, signed on September 25, 2019, and termi13 nated on August 5, 2021. 

14 (c) RECERTIFICATIONS.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days 

16 after the date on which the Secretary of State sub17 mits to Congress an initial certification under sub18 section (a), and every 180 days thereafter, the Sec19 retary shall submit to Congress a recertification that 

20 the conditions described in subsection (b) are con21 tinuing to be met. 

22 (2) FURTHER LIMITATION.—If the Secretary of 

23 State is unable to make a recertification described in 

24 paragraph (1), or fails to make such a recertifi25 cation, the limitations on the obligations and exVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:03 May 01, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8073.IH H8073

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1 penditures of funds described in of subsection (a) 

2 shall apply. 

3 (d) IMPLEMENTATION.—Except as otherwise pro4 vided in this Act, the agreements that are the subject of 

5 a certification under subsection (b) shall be implemented 

6 in accordance with the interim final rule entitled ‘‘Imple7 menting Bilateral and Multilateral Asylum Cooperative 

8 Agreements Under the Immigration and Nationality Act’’ 

9 (84 FR 63994). Such interim final rule shall thereafter 

10 have the force and effect of law, and may not be repealed 

11 or amended. 

12 (e) LIMITATION.—For purposes of the implementa13 tion of any agreement that is the subject of a certification 

14 under subsection (b)— 

15 (1) the Secretary of Homeland Security may 

16 not find that it is in the public interest for an alien 

17 subject to the agreement to receive asylum in the 

18 United States; and 

19 (2) the Secretary may not otherwise permit an 

20 alien to remain in the United States on the basis 

21 that the alien’s life or freedom would be threatened 

22 in the Republic of El Salvador, the Republic of Gua23 temala, or the Republic of Honduras because of— 

24 (A) climate, environmental conditions, or 

25 weather-related natural disasters; or 


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1 (B) violence from a criminal street gang. 

Æ 


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