Equal Justice for Immigrants Act of 2019

To increase legal representation for certain aliens, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Equal Justice for Immigrants Act of 2019 2. Vulnerable population defined In this Act, the term vulnerable population (1) is an asylum seeker or victim of torture or trafficking; (2) has special religious, cultural, or spiritual considerations; (3) is pregnant or nursing; (4) is younger than 21 years of age or older than 60 years of age; (5) identifies as gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans­gen­der, or intersex; (6) is a victim or witness of a crime; (7) has a mental disorder or physical disability; (8) is incapable of filling out forms in English; or (9) has been determined by an immigration judge or the Secretary of Homeland Security to be experiencing severe trauma or to be a survivor of torture or gender-based violence, based on information obtained during intake, from the individual’s attorney or legal services provider, or through credible self-reporting. I Amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act 101. Migrant Protection Protocols (a) Treatment of aliens arriving from contiguous territory Section 235(b)(2)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1225(b)(2)(C) with the affirmative consent of the alien (b) Interview applicants In the case of an alien who is a member of a vulnerable population and applying for admission as a refugee under section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall ensure that the number of interviews required of such an alien is not overly burdensome. (c) Asylum officer defined Section 235(b)(1)(E) of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1225(b)(1)(E) (1) in clause (i), by striking and (2) in clause (ii), by striking the period at the end and inserting the following: , and (3) by adding at the end the following: (iii) is an employee of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. . II Immigration Proceedings 201. Immigration judge requirements The Attorney General may not require an immigration judge to adhere to a case production quota or any other time-based metric and may not evaluate the performance of an immigration judge using any such quota or time based metric. 202. Representation (a) Right to counsel The Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1101 (1) in section 238(b)(4)(B), by striking (at no expense to the government) (2) in section 240(b)(4)(A), by striking , at no expense to the Government, (3) by amending section 292 to read as follows: 292. Right to counsel (a) In general In any proceeding before an immigration judge and in any appeal proceeding before the Attorney General from any such proceedings, the person concerned, including an unaccompanied alien child or an alien who is an individual with a disability (as such term is defined in Section 7(20) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 ( 29 U.S.C. 705 (b) Indigent aliens In the case of an indigent alien, an immigration judge shall appoint, at the alien’s request, counsel to represent the alien in any proceeding described in subsection (a). . (b) Access to counsel for unaccompanied alien children Section 235(c)(5) of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 ( 8 U.S.C. 1232(c)(5) to the greatest extent practicable and consistent with section 292 of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1362 (c) Court date Section 240(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1229a(a) (4) Deportation An alien that is eligible for a removal proceeding under this Act may not be removed prior to the date of such proceeding. . III Judicial review 301. Extension on petition for review Section 242(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1252(b) (1) in paragraph (1)— (A) by striking 30 days 60 days (B) by inserting before the period at the end the following: , except that a court may extend the deadline for a period of not more than 30 days upon a showing of good cause or excusable neglect (2) in paragraph (3)(B)— (A) by striking does not shall (B) by striking , unless the court orders otherwise 302. Notice of opportunity to appeal (a) In general Not later than 30 days after the Board of Immigration Appeals affirms an order of removal issued pursuant to section 240, the Attorney General shall provide written notice of the right to appeal to the alien (or, if personal service is not practicable, through service by mail to the alien or to the alien's counsel of record, if any) specifying the deadline for seeking judicial review under section 242 of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1252 (b) Regulations The Attorney General shall amend such regulations as may be necessary to implement subsection (a). (c) Effective date Subsection (a) shall take effect on the date that is 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act. IV Miscellaneous 401. Video conference technology Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Attorney General, acting through the Director of the Executive Office for Immigration Review, shall submit to Congress a report on the effect of video conference hearings on the outcome of such hearings. 402. Authorization of Appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act $726,200,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 through 2021.

Summary: Equal Justice for Immigrants Act of 2019 This bill contains various provisions designed to protect migrants, such as limits on deportation. An alien arriving by land to the United States seeking admission may not be returned to the last country that the alien was in while immigration proceedings are pending, unless the alien affirmatively consents. For an asylum seeker who is a member of a vulnerable population, the Department of Homeland Security shall ensure that the number of interviews required is not overly burdensome. The Department of Justice (DOJ) may not impose production quotas or other time-based metrics on immigration judges or use such metrics to evaluate a judge's performance. The government may pay for counsel to represent aliens in various immigration proceedings. For indigent aliens, the government shall appoint counsel. An alien eligible for a removal proceeding may not be removed prior to the date of such a proceeding. The bill extends to 60 days the deadline seeking review of a final order of removal, and authorizes the court to extend that deadline an additional 30 days in certain instances. A petition for review shall stay the removal. After the Board of Immigration Appeals affirms a removal order, the DOJ shall provide the alien a written notice of the alien's right to appeal the decision and certain information related to such an appeal.