I 
109TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2055
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to permit certain long-term 
permanent resident aliens to seek cancellation of removal under such 
Act, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 3, 2005
Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts introduced the following bill; which was referred 
to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to permit 
certain long-term permanent resident aliens to seek can-
cellation of removal under such Act, 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, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Family Reunification 
Act of 2005’’.
SEC. 2. CANCELLATION OF REMOVAL FOR LONG-TERM 
PERMANENT RESIDENT ALIENS. 
Section 240A(a) of the Immigration and Nationality 
Act (8 U.S.C. 1229b(a)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(a) CANCELLATION
OF REMOVAL
FOR CERTAIN 
PERMANENT RESIDENTS.—
‘‘(1) PERMANENT RESIDENTS NOT CONVICTED 
OF ANY AGGRAVATED FELONY.—The Secretary of 
Homeland Security may cancel removal in the case 
of an alien who is inadmissible to, or deportable 
from, the United States, if the alien—
‘‘(A) has been an alien lawfully admitted 
for permanent residence for not less than 5 
years; 
‘‘(B) resided in the United States continu-
ously for 7 years after having been admitted in 
any status; and 
‘‘(C) has not been convicted of any aggra-
vated felony. 
‘‘(2) PERMANENT RESIDENTS CONVICTED OF A 
NONVIOLENT AGGRAVATED FELONY.—The Secretary 
of Homeland Security may cancel removal in the 
case of an alien who is inadmissible to, or deportable 
from, the United States, if the alien—
‘‘(A) has been an alien lawfully admitted 
for permanent residence for not less than 5 
years; 
‘‘(B) satisfies the residence requirements 
of paragraph (6); 
‘‘(C) has never been convicted of—
‘‘(i) an act of murder, rape, or sexual 
abuse of a minor; 
‘‘(ii) any crime of violence (as defined 
in section 16 of title 18, United States 
Code); or 
‘‘(iii) an attempt or conspiracy to 
commit an offense described in clause (i) 
or (ii); 
‘‘(D) has been convicted of—
‘‘(i) a single aggravated felony for 
which the alien was sentenced to serve a 
term of imprisonment of 4 years or less; 
‘‘(ii) multiple aggravated felonies aris-
ing out of a single scheme of criminal mis-
conduct for which the alien was sentenced 
to serve, in the aggregate, a term of im-
prisonment of 4 years or less; or 
‘‘(iii) 2 aggravated felonies arising out 
of separate schemes of criminal misconduct
for which the alien was sentenced to serve, 
in the aggregate, a term of imprisonment 
of 4 years or less, but for neither of which 
the alien was actually incarcerated; 
‘‘(E) was not, in the commission of the ag-
gravated felony or felonies described in sub-
paragraph (D)—
‘‘(i) an organizer, leader, manager, or 
supervisor of others; or 
‘‘(ii) engaged in a continuing criminal 
enterprise (as defined in section 408(c) of 
the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 
848(c))); 
‘‘(F) has never been incarcerated for any 
offense except—
‘‘(i) the offense described in clause (i) 
of subparagraph (D), or another offense 
that was committed in the course of the 
same scheme of criminal misconduct; or 
‘‘(ii) an offense that was committed in 
the course of the scheme or schemes de-
scribed in clause (ii) or (iii) of such sub-
paragraph; and 
‘‘(G) has not been the subject of a timely 
certification described in paragraph (7) with re-
spect to the aggravated felony or felonies de-
scribed in subparagraph (D), unless such cer-
tification has been revoked pursuant to such 
paragraph. 
‘‘(3) PERMANENT
RESIDENTS
CONVICTED
OF 
AN AGGRAVATED FELONY CLASSIFIED AS A CRIME 
OF VIOLENCE.—The Secretary of Homeland Secu-
rity may cancel removal in the case of an alien who 
is inadmissible to, or deportable from, the United 
States, if the alien—
‘‘(A) has been an alien lawfully admitted 
for permanent residence for not less than 5 
years; 
‘‘(B) satisfies the residence requirements 
of paragraph (6); 
‘‘(C) has never been convicted of—
‘‘(i) an act of murder, rape, or sexual 
abuse of a minor; or 
‘‘(ii) an attempt or conspiracy to com-
mit an offense described in clause (i); 
‘‘(D) has never been convicted of any ag-
gravated felony that resulted in death or serious 
bodily injury to any person other than the alien; 
‘‘(E) has been convicted of—
‘‘(i) a single aggravated felony for 
which the alien was sentenced to serve a 
term of imprisonment of 2 years or less; 
‘‘(ii) multiple aggravated felonies aris-
ing out of a single scheme of criminal mis-
conduct for which the alien was sentenced 
to serve, in the aggregate, a term of im-
prisonment of 2 years or less; or 
‘‘(iii) 2 aggravated felonies arising out 
of separate schemes of criminal misconduct 
for which the alien was sentenced to serve, 
in the aggregate, a term of imprisonment 
of 2 years or less, but for neither of which 
the alien was actually incarcerated; 
‘‘(F) was not, in the commission of the ag-
gravated felony or felonies described in sub-
paragraph (E)—
‘‘(i) an organizer, leader, manager, or 
supervisor of others; or 
‘‘(ii) engaged in a continuing criminal 
enterprise (as defined in section 408(c) of 
the Controlled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 
848(c))); 
‘‘(G) has never been incarcerated for any 
offense except—
‘‘(i) the offense described in clause (i) 
of subparagraph (E), or another offense 
that was committed in the course of the 
same scheme of criminal misconduct; or 
‘‘(ii) an offense that was committed in 
the course of the scheme or schemes de-
scribed in clause (ii) or (iii) of such sub-
paragraph; and 
‘‘(H) has not been the subject of a timely 
certification described in paragraph (7) with re-
spect to the aggravated felony or felonies de-
scribed in subparagraph (E), unless such cer-
tification has been revoked pursuant to such 
paragraph. 
‘‘(4) PERMANENT
RESIDENTS
ADMITTED
BE-
FORE AGE 10.—The Secretary of Homeland Security 
may cancel removal in the case of an alien who is 
inadmissible to, or deportable from, the United 
States, if the alien—
‘‘(A) has been an alien lawfully admitted 
for permanent residence for not less than 5 
years; 
‘‘(B) resided in the United States continu-
ously for 7 years after having been admitted in
any status when the alien was under 10 years 
of age; 
‘‘(C) has never been convicted of—
‘‘(i) an act of murder, rape, or sexual 
abuse of a minor; or 
‘‘(ii) an attempt or conspiracy to com-
mit an offense described in clause (i); and 
‘‘(D) has never been incarcerated for a 
third (or succeeding) aggravated felony, except 
that multiple felonies arising out of a single 
scheme of criminal misconduct shall be consid-
ered a single felony for purposes of this sub-
paragraph. 
‘‘(5) PERMANENT
RESIDENTS
ADMITTED
BE-
FORE AGE 16.—The Secretary of Homeland Security 
may cancel removal in the case of an alien who is 
inadmissible to, or deportable from, the United 
States, if the alien—
‘‘(A) has been an alien lawfully admitted 
for permanent residence for not less than 5 
years; 
‘‘(B) resided in the United States continu-
ously for 7 years—
‘‘(i) before the alien committed any 
aggravated felony; and
‘‘(ii) after having been admitted in 
any status when the alien was under 16 
years of age; 
‘‘(C) has never been convicted of—
‘‘(i) an act of murder, rape, or sexual 
abuse of a minor; or 
‘‘(ii) an attempt or conspiracy to com-
mit an offense described in clause (i); and 
‘‘(D) has never been incarcerated for a 
third (or succeeding) aggravated felony, except 
that multiple felonies arising out of a single 
scheme of criminal misconduct shall be consid-
ered a single felony for purposes of this sub-
paragraph. 
‘‘(6) RESIDENCE REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTAIN 
ALIENS.—In the case of an alien seeking relief under 
paragraph (2) or (3), the residence requirements de-
scribed in this paragraph are as follows: 
‘‘(A) If the alien has been convicted of any 
aggravated felony committed after the date of 
the enactment of the Family Reunification Act 
of 2005, the alien is required to have resided in 
the United States—
‘‘(i) continuously for 7 years after 
having been admitted in any status and