I 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 9261 
To protect certain victims of human trafficking by expanding the authority 
of the Secretary of Homeland Security to grant such aliens continued 
presence in the United States. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
AUGUST 2, 2024 
Mr. IVEY (for himself, Mr. VALADAO, and Mrs. RAMIREZ) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To protect certain victims of human trafficking by expanding 
the authority of the Secretary of Homeland Security 
to grant such aliens continued presence in the United 
States. 
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 ‘‘Continued Presence 
Improvement Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. TRAFFICKING VICTIMS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 107(c)(3) of the Traf-
ficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 
7105(c)(3)) is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (A)— 
(A) by amending clause (i) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(i) INVESTIGATIONS AND PROSECU-
TIONS.—If a law enforcement official files 
an application stating that an alien may be 
a victim of a severe form of trafficking, the 
Secretary of Homeland Security may per-
mit the alien to remain in the United 
States to facilitate the investigation or 
prosecution of a trafficking-related of-
fense.’’; 
(B) by redesignating clause (iv) as clause 
(v); 
(C) by redesignating clause (ii) as clause 
(iv) and moving such clause so that it appears 
immediately after clause (iii); 
(D) by striking clause (iii) and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(ii) WHILE PURSUING A CIVIL AC-
TION.—The Secretary of Homeland Secu-
rity shall permit an alien who is a victim 
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of a severe form of trafficking and has 
filed a civil action under section 1595 of 
title 18 to remain in the United States 
until such action is concluded. If the Sec-
retary, after consultation with the Attorney 
General, determines that the alien has 
failed to exercise due diligence in pursuing 
such action, the Secretary may revoke the 
order permitting the alien to remain in the 
United States. 
‘‘(iii) 
LENGTH; 
EXTENSIONS.—The 
Secretary of Homeland Security shall 
grant continued presence under this sub-
paragraph for a period of not less than 2 
years and may extend such status beyond 
2 years, at the discretion of the Secretary. 
If the alien has a pending immigration 
benefit application, continued presence 
shall be extended until such application is 
approved, withdrawn, or denied upon final 
appeal, unless the Secretary determines 
that continued presence is no longer war-
ranted.’’; 
(E) in clause (iv), as redesignated, by 
striking ‘‘Federal law enforcement officials de-
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scribed in clause (i)’’ and inserting ‘‘law en-
forcement officials’’; and 
(F) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(vi) EMPLOYMENT
AUTHORIZATION 
.—During the period the alien is author-
ized to remain in the United States under 
this paragraph, the Secretary of Homeland 
Security shall— 
‘‘(I) authorize the alien to engage 
in employment in the United States; 
and 
‘‘(II) provide the alien with an 
‘employment authorized’ endorsement 
or other appropriate work permit. 
‘‘(vii) PROTECTION
FROM
IMMIGRA-
TION
ENFORCEMENT.—While a grant of 
continued presence is in effect under this 
paragraph, Federal law enforcement offi-
cials may only take civil immigration en-
forcement actions against an alien de-
scribed in clause (i) or (iii)— 
‘‘(I) based on conduct committed 
after continued presence is authorized; 
and 
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‘‘(II) following consultation with 
the law enforcement official who filed 
the application for continued pres-
ence.’’; 
(2) in subparagraph (B)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘Law enforcement’’ and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(i) OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES.— 
Law enforcement’’; 
(B) in clause (i), as redesignated, by strik-
ing 
‘‘subparagraph 
(A)(i)’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘clause (i) or (iii) of subparagraph (A)’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(ii) INSIDE THE UNITED STATES.— 
Law enforcement officials may submit 
written requests to the Secretary of Home-
land Security for deferred action and em-
ployment authorization for certain relatives 
of any alien whose continued presence is 
permitted under clause (i) or (iii) of sub-
paragraph (A).’’; 
(3) by amending subparagraph (C) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(C) LAW
ENFORCEMENT
OFFICE
POLI-
CIES, TRAINING, AND
MATERIAL.—The Sec-
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retary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of 
State, the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services, the Attorney Gen-
eral, and the Commissioner of the Equal Em-
ployment Opportunity Commission shall— 
‘‘(i) develop policies and procedures 
for their respective agency that encourage 
the use of and immediate application for 
continued presence by the respective agen-
cy upon identification of an individual cov-
ered under subparagraph (A)(i) in appro-
priate cases; 
‘‘(ii) develop materials, in consultation 
with the Secretary of Homeland Security, 
to encourage and assist their respective 
Federal agency personnel and other law 
enforcement officials to request continued 
presence in appropriate cases; and 
‘‘(iii) distribute the materials devel-
oped pursuant to clause (ii) and provide 
training on such materials to their respec-
tive Federal agency personnel and other 
law enforcement officials.’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘(D) DEFINED TERM.—In this paragraph, 
the term ‘law enforcement official’ means any 
employee of a Federal, State, Tribal, territorial, 
or local law enforcement agency, labor agency, 
children’s protective services agency, or other 
civil, criminal, judicial or administrative author-
ity that has responsibility and authority for the 
detection, investigation, or prosecution of severe 
forms of trafficking in persons.’’. 
(b) RULEMAKING.—The Secretary of Homeland Se-
curity shall promulgate regulations to implement the 
amendments made by subsection (a). 
Æ 
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