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 pur-
poses. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Guaranteed Refugee 
Admission Ceiling Enhancement Act’’ or the ‘‘GRACE 
Act’’. 
SEC. 2. ADMISSION OF REFUGEES. 
Section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act 
(8 U.S.C. 1157) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) by striking paragraphs (1) and (2) and 
inserting the following: 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in sub-
section (b), the number of refugees who may be ad-
mitted under this section in any fiscal year shall be 
such number as the President determines is— 
‘‘(A) justified by humanitarian concerns or 
otherwise in the national interest; and 
‘‘(B) not fewer than 125,000. 
‘‘(2) ABSENCE
OF
DETERMINATION.—If the 
President does not issue a determination under 
paragraph (1) before the beginning of a fiscal year, 
the number of refugees who may be admitted under 
this section shall be 125,000.’’; 
(B) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and 
(4) as paragraphs (4) and (7), respectively; 
(C) by inserting after paragraph (2) the 
following: 
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‘‘(3) NUMERICAL GOALS.—Each officer of the 
Federal Government responsible for refugee admis-
sions or refugee resettlement shall treat as the nu-
merical goals for refugee admissions under this sec-
tion for the applicable fiscal year— 
‘‘(A)(i) a determination under paragraph 
(1); or 
‘‘(ii) in the absence of a determination 
under paragraph (1), the number under para-
graph (2); and 
‘‘(B) a determination under subsection 
(b).’’; and 
(D) by inserting after paragraph (4), as 
redesignated, the following: 
‘‘(5) 
CONSIDERATION
OF
RESETTLEMENT 
NEEDS.—In making a determination under para-
graph (1), the President shall consider the number 
of refugees who, during the calendar year beginning 
immediately after the beginning of the applicable fis-
cal year, are in need of resettlement in a third coun-
try, as determined by the United Nations High 
Commissioner for Refugees in the most recently 
published projected global resettlement needs report. 
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‘‘(6) REGIONAL ALLOCATIONS.—The President 
shall determine regional allocations for admissions 
under this subsection, which shall— 
‘‘(A) consider the projected needs identi-
fied by the United Nations High Commissioner 
for Refugees in the projected global resettle-
ment needs report for the calendar year begin-
ning immediately after the beginning of the ap-
plicable fiscal year; and 
‘‘(B) include an unallocated reserve that 
the Secretary of State, after notifying the Com-
mittee on the Judiciary of the Senate and the 
Committee on the Judiciary of the House of 
Representatives, may use for 1 or more regions 
in which the need for additional refugee admis-
sions arises.’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(g) QUARTERLY REPORTS ON ADMISSIONS.—Not 
later than 15 days after the last day of each quarter, the 
President shall submit to the Committee on the Judiciary 
of the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary of the 
House of Representatives a report that includes the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(1) REFUGEES ADMITTED.— 
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‘‘(A) The number of refugees admitted to 
the United States during the preceding quarter. 
‘‘(B) The number of refugees admitted to 
the United States during the preceding quarter, 
expressed as a percentage of the number of ref-
ugees authorized to be admitted in accordance 
with the determinations under subsections (a) 
and (b) for the applicable fiscal year. 
‘‘(C) The cumulative number of refugees 
admitted to the United States during the appli-
cable fiscal year, as of the last day of the pre-
ceding quarter. 
‘‘(D) The number of refugees to be admit-
ted to the United States during the remainder 
of the applicable fiscal year so as to achieve the 
numerical goals set forth in the determinations 
under subsections (a) and (b) for such fiscal 
year. 
‘‘(E) The number of refugees from each 
region admitted to the United States during the 
preceding quarter, expressed as a percentage of 
the allocation for each region under subsection 
(a)(6) for the applicable fiscal year. 
‘‘(2) ALIENS WITH SECURITY ADVISORY OPIN-
IONS.— 
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‘‘(A) The number of aliens, by nationality, 
for whom a Security Advisory Opinion has been 
requested who were security-cleared during the 
preceding quarter, expressed as a percentage of 
all cases successfully adjudicated by the Direc-
tor of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration 
Services in the applicable fiscal year. 
‘‘(B) The number of aliens, by nationality, 
for whom a Security Advisory Opinion has been 
requested who were admitted to the United 
States during the preceding quarter. 
‘‘(3) CIRCUIT RIDES.— 
‘‘(A) For the preceding quarter— 
‘‘(i) the number of Refugee Corps of-
ficers deployed on circuit rides, expressed 
as a percentage of the overall number of 
Refugee Corps officers; 
‘‘(ii) the number of individuals inter-
viewed— 
‘‘(I) on each circuit ride; and 
‘‘(II) at each circuit ride location; 
‘‘(iii) the number of circuit rides; and 
‘‘(iv) for each circuit ride— 
‘‘(I) the duration of the circuit 
ride; 
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‘‘(II) the average number of 
interviews conducted daily on the cir-
cuit ride; and 
‘‘(III) the percentages of inter-
views conducted for— 
‘‘(aa) individuals who re-
quire Security Advisory Opinions; 
and 
‘‘(bb) individuals who do not 
require Security Advisory Opin-
ions. 
‘‘(B) For the subsequent quarter— 
‘‘(i) the number of circuit rides sched-
uled; and 
‘‘(ii) the number of circuit rides 
planned. 
‘‘(4) PROCESSING.—For the preceding quar-
ter— 
‘‘(A) the average number of days be-
tween— 
‘‘(i) the date on which an individual is 
identified by the United States Govern-
ment as a refugee; and 
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‘‘(ii) the date on which such individual 
is interviewed by the Secretary of Home-
land Security; 
‘‘(B) the average number of days be-
tween— 
‘‘(i) the date on which an individual 
identified by the United States Govern-
ment as a refugee is interviewed by the 
Secretary of Homeland Security; and 
‘‘(ii) the date on which such individual 
is admitted to the United States; and 
‘‘(C) with respect to individuals identified 
by the United States Government as refugees 
who have been interviewed by the Secretary of 
Homeland Security, the approval, denial, and 
hold rates for the applications for admission of 
such individuals, by nationality. 
‘‘(5) PLAN AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.— 
‘‘(A) A plan that describes the procedural 
or personnel changes necessary to ensure the 
admission of the number of refugees authorized 
to be admitted to the United States in accord-
ance with determinations under subsections (a) 
and (b), including a projection of the number of 
refugees to be admitted to the United States 
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each month so as to achieve the numerical goals 
set forth in such determinations. 
‘‘(B) Additional information relating to the 
pace of refugee admissions, as determined by 
the President. 
‘‘(h) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing in this sec-
tion may be construed— 
‘‘(1) to inhibit the expeditious processing of ref-
ugee and asylum applications; or 
‘‘(2) to restrict the authority of the Secretary of 
Homeland Security to admit aliens to the United 
States under any other Act.’’. 
Æ 
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