II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 5587 

To establish in the Department of Homeland Security the Task Force on 

the Reunification of Families, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 18 (legislative day, DECEMBER 16), 2024 

Mr. BLUMENTHAL (for himself, Mr. MERKLEY, Ms. HIRONO, and Mr. MARKEY) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to 

the Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To establish in the Department of Homeland Security the 

Task Force on the Reunification of Families, and for 

other purposes. 

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 ‘‘Family Reunification 

5 Task Force Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. TASK FORCE ON THE REUNIFICATION OF FAMILIES. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 days after the 

8 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Home9 land Security, in coordination with the Secretary of State, 


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1 the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the At2 torney General, shall establish in the Department of 

3 Homeland Security a task force on the reunification of 

4 families, to be known as the ‘‘Task Force on the Reunifi5 cation of Families’’ (in this section referred to as the 

6 ‘‘Task Force’’). 

7 (b) ACTIVITIES.—The Task Force shall carry out the 

8 following: 

9 (1) Identify all covered children. 

10 (2) Provide recommendations to the Secretary 

11 of Homeland Security concerning the following: 

12 (A) The legal authorities necessary to re13 unite such covered children with their parents 

14 or legal guardians. 

15 (B) The exercise of parole under section 

16 212(d)(5)(A) of the Immigration and Nation17 ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(d)(5)(A)) to reunite 

18 such covered children with their parents or legal 

19 guardians. 

20 (C) The issuance of visas or other immi21 gration benefits to reunite such covered children 

22 with their parents or legal guardians. 

23 (D) The provision of additional services 

24 and support to such covered children and their 


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1 parents or legal guardians, including trauma 

2 and mental health services. 

3 (E) Reunification of any additional family 

4 members of such covered children, such as sib5 lings. 

6 (c) CONSULTATION.—In developing the recommenda7 tions under subsection (b)(2), the Task Force shall consult 

8 with the following: 

9 (1) Relevant stakeholders, including domestic 

10 and international non-governmental organizations. 

11 (2) Representatives of covered children. 

12 (d) REPORTS.—Not later than 60 days after the es13 tablishment of the Task Force, and every 60 days there14 after, the Task Force shall report to the appropriate con15 gressional committees on the activities of the Task Force 

16 during the immediately preceding 60-day period, including 

17 relating to any recommendations under subsection (b)(2) 

18 that require congressional action. 

19 (e) SUNSET.—This Act shall terminate on the earliest 

20 of— 

21 (1) the date that is 120 days after the date on 

22 which all covered children have been reunited with 

23 their parents or legal guardians; or 

24 (2) January 20, 2039. 

25 (f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 (1) APPROPRIATE CONGRESSIONAL COMMIT2 TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com3 mittees’’ means— 

4 (A) the Committee on Homeland Security 

5 and Governmental Affairs, the Committee on 

6 the Judiciary, the Committee on Health, Edu7 cation, Labor and Pensions, and the Committee 

8 on Foreign Relations of the Senate; and 

9 (B) the Committee on Homeland Security, 

10 the Committee on the Judiciary, the Committee 

11 on Energy and Commerce, and the Committee 

12 on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representa13 tives. 

14 (2) COVERED CHILDREN.—The term ‘‘covered 

15 children’’ means all persons who, between January 

16 20, 2017, and January 20, 2021, were— 

17 (A) under the age of 18; and 

18 (B) separated from their parents or legal 

19 guardians at the United States–Mexico border 

20 in connection with the implementation of the 

21 Zero-Tolerance Policy. 

22 (3) ZERO-TOLERANCE POLICY.—The term 

23 ‘‘Zero-Tolerance Policy’’ means— 

24 (A) the policy specified in the memo25 randum issued by the Attorney General on 


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1 April 6, 2018, entitled ‘‘Zero-Tolerance for Of2 fenses Under 8 U.S.C. § 1325(a)’’; or 

3 (B) any other related policy, program, 

4 practice, or initiative. 

Æ 


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