I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2237 

To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the President 

to set a minimum annual goal for the number of refugees to be admitted, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 26, 2021 

Ms. LOFGREN (for herself, Mr. NEGUSE, Mr. NADLER, Ms. DEGETTE, Ms. 

MCCOLLUM, Mr. COOPER, Mrs. DEMINGS, Ms. GARCIA of Texas, Mr. 

MCGOVERN, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. BONAMICI, Ms. NORTON, Mr. RUSH, 

Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. CASTEN, Mr. MEEKS, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Ms. BLUNT

ROCHESTER, Mr. GALLEGO, Mr. CA ́RDENAS, Mr. CARSON, Mr. 

MORELLE, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, Mr. TORRES of New York, Mr. JOHNSON of 

Georgia, Mr. WELCH, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Mr. YARMUTH, 

and Ms. TLAIB) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on the Judiciary 

A BILL 

To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to require 

the President to set a minimum annual goal for the 

number of refugees to be admitted, 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, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Guaranteed Refugee 

3 Admission Ceiling Enhancement Act’’ or the ‘‘GRACE 

4 Act’’. 

5 SEC. 2. ADMISSION OF REFUGEES. 

6 Section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act 

7 (8 U.S.C. 1157) is amended— 

8 (1) in subsection (a)— 

9 (A) by striking paragraphs (1) and (2) and 

10 inserting the following: 

11 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in sub12 section (b), the number of refugees who may be ad13 mitted under this section in any fiscal year shall be 

14 such number as the President determines is— 

15 ‘‘(A) justified by humanitarian concerns or 

16 otherwise in the national interest; and 

17 ‘‘(B) not fewer than 125,000. 

18 ‘‘(2) ABSENCE OF DETERMINATION.—If the 

19 President does not issue a determination under 

20 paragraph (1) before the beginning of a fiscal year, 

21 the number of refugees who may be admitted under 

22 this section shall be 125,000.’’; 

23 (B) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and 

24 (4) as paragraphs (4) and (7), respectively; 

25 (C) by inserting after paragraph (2) the 

26 following: 


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1 ‘‘(3) NUMERICAL GOALS.—Each officer of the 

2 Federal Government responsible for refugee admis3 sions or refugee resettlement shall treat as the nu4 merical goals for refugee admissions under this sec5 tion for the applicable fiscal year— 

6 ‘‘(A)(i) a determination under paragraph 

7 (1); or 

8 ‘‘(ii) in the absence of a determination 

9 under paragraph (1), the number under para10 graph (2); and 

11 ‘‘(B) a determination under subsection 

12 (b).’’; and 

13 (D) by inserting after paragraph (4), as 

14 redesignated, the following: 

15 ‘‘(5) CONSIDERATION OF RESETTLEMENT

16 NEEDS.—In making a determination under para17 graph (1), the President shall consider the number 

18 of refugees who, during the calendar year beginning 

19 immediately after the beginning of the applicable fis20 cal year, are in need of resettlement in a third coun21 try, as determined by the United Nations High 

22 Commissioner for Refugees in the most recently 

23 published projected global resettlement needs report. 


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1 ‘‘(6) REGIONAL ALLOCATIONS.—The President 

2 shall determine regional allocations for admissions 

3 under this subsection, which shall— 

4 ‘‘(A) consider the projected needs identi5 fied by the United Nations High Commissioner 

6 for Refugees in the projected global resettle7 ment needs report for the calendar year begin8 ning immediately after the beginning of the ap9 plicable fiscal year; and 

10 ‘‘(B) include an unallocated reserve that 

11 the Secretary of State, after notifying the Com12 mittee on the Judiciary of the Senate and the 

13 Committee on the Judiciary of the House of 

14 Representatives, may use for 1 or more regions 

15 in which the need for additional refugee admis16 sions arises.’’; and 

17 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

18 ‘‘(g) QUARTERLY REPORTS ON ADMISSIONS.—Not 

19 later than 15 days after the last day of each quarter, the 

20 President shall submit to the Committee on the Judiciary 

21 of the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary of the 

22 House of Representatives a report that includes the fol23 lowing: 

24 ‘‘(1) REFUGEES ADMITTED.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) The number of refugees admitted to 

2 the United States during the preceding quarter. 

3 ‘‘(B) The number of refugees admitted to 

4 the United States during the preceding quarter, 

5 expressed as a percentage of the number of ref6 ugees authorized to be admitted in accordance 

7 with the determinations under subsections (a) 

8 and (b) for the applicable fiscal year. 

9 ‘‘(C) The cumulative number of refugees 

10 admitted to the United States during the appli11 cable fiscal year, as of the last day of the pre12 ceding quarter. 

13 ‘‘(D) The number of refugees to be admit14 ted to the United States during the remainder 

15 of the applicable fiscal year so as to achieve the 

16 numerical goals set forth in the determinations 

17 under subsections (a) and (b) for such fiscal 

18 year. 

19 ‘‘(E) The number of refugees from each 

20 region admitted to the United States during the 

21 preceding quarter, expressed as a percentage of 

22 the allocation for each region under subsection 

23 (a)(6) for the applicable fiscal year. 

24 ‘‘(2) ALIENS WITH SECURITY ADVISORY OPIN25 IONS.— 


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1 ‘‘(A) The number of aliens, by nationality, 

2 for whom a Security Advisory Opinion has been 

3 requested who were security-cleared during the 

4 preceding quarter, expressed as a percentage of 

5 all cases successfully adjudicated by the Direc6 tor of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration 

7 Services in the applicable fiscal year. 

8 ‘‘(B) The number of aliens, by nationality, 

9 for whom a Security Advisory Opinion has been 

10 requested who were admitted to the United 

11 States during the preceding quarter. 

12 ‘‘(3) CIRCUIT RIDES.— 

13 ‘‘(A) For the preceding quarter— 

14 ‘‘(i) the number of Refugee Corps of15 ficers deployed on circuit rides, expressed 

16 as a percentage of the overall number of 

17 Refugee Corps officers; 

18 ‘‘(ii) the number of individuals inter19 viewed— 

20 ‘‘(I) on each circuit ride; and 

21 ‘‘(II) at each circuit ride location; 

22 ‘‘(iii) the number of circuit rides; and 

23 ‘‘(iv) for each circuit ride— 

24 ‘‘(I) the duration of the circuit 

25 ride; 


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1 ‘‘(II) the average number of 

2 interviews conducted daily on the cir3 cuit ride; and 

4 ‘‘(III) the percentages of inter5 views conducted for— 

6 ‘‘(aa) individuals who re7 quire Security Advisory Opinions; 

8 and 

9 ‘‘(bb) individuals who do not 

10 require Security Advisory Opin11 ions. 

12 ‘‘(B) For the subsequent quarter— 

13 ‘‘(i) the number of circuit rides sched14 uled; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) the number of circuit rides 

16 planned. 

17 ‘‘(4) PROCESSING.—For the preceding quar18 ter— 

19 ‘‘(A) the average number of days be20 tween— 

21 ‘‘(i) the date on which an individual is 

22 identified by the United States Govern23 ment as a refugee; and 


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1 ‘‘(ii) the date on which such individual 

2 is interviewed by the Secretary of Home3 land Security; 

4 ‘‘(B) the average number of days be5 tween— 

6 ‘‘(i) the date on which an individual 

7 identified by the United States Govern8 ment as a refugee is interviewed by the 

9 Secretary of Homeland Security; and 

10 ‘‘(ii) the date on which such individual 

11 is admitted to the United States; and 

12 ‘‘(C) with respect to individuals identified 

13 by the United States Government as refugees 

14 who have been interviewed by the Secretary of 

15 Homeland Security, the approval, denial, and 

16 hold rates for the applications for admission of 

17 such individuals, by nationality. 

18 ‘‘(5) PLAN AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.— 

19 ‘‘(A) A plan that describes the procedural 

20 or personnel changes necessary to ensure the 

21 admission of the number of refugees authorized 

22 to be admitted to the United States in accord23 ance with determinations under subsections (a) 

24 and (b), including a projection of the number of 

25 refugees to be admitted to the United States 


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1 each month so as to achieve the numerical goals 

2 set forth in such determinations. 

3 ‘‘(B) Additional information relating to the 

4 pace of refugee admissions, as determined by 

5 the President. 

6 ‘‘(h) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec7 tion may be construed— 

8 ‘‘(1) to inhibit the expeditious processing of ref9 ugee and asylum applications; or 

10 ‘‘(2) to restrict the authority of the Secretary of 

11 Homeland Security to admit aliens to the United 

12 States under any other Act.’’. 

Æ 


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