I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8355 
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to reform the asylum claim 
process, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 13, 2022 
Mr. CRENSHAW (for himself, Mr. ELLZEY, Mr. FALLON, Mr. GIMENEZ, Ms. 
VAN DUYNE, Mr. WEBER of Texas, Mr. BABIN, Mr. BRADY, Ms. 
GRANGER, Mr. BURGESS, Mr. POSEY, and Mr. PFLUGER) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to reform 
the asylum claim process, and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Closing Loopholes and 
Ending Asylum Abuse Act of 2022’’. 
SEC. 2. REFORM ASYLUM CLAIM PROCESS. 
(a) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—The Immigration 
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) in section 101(a)— 
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(A) in paragraph (42)— 
(i) by inserting ‘‘by the government or 
a 
governmental-affiliated 
entity’’ 
after 
‘‘fear of persecution’’ each place it ap-
pears; 
(ii) by inserting ‘‘by the government 
or a governmental-affiliated entity’’ after 
‘‘persecution of any person’’; 
(iii) by inserting ‘‘by the government 
or a governmental-affiliated entity’’ after 
‘‘has been persecuted’’; 
(iv) by inserting ‘‘by the government 
or a governmental-affiliated entity’’ after 
‘‘have been persecuted’’; and 
(v) by inserting ‘‘by the government 
or a governmental-affiliated entity’’ after 
‘‘subject to persecution’’; 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(53) The term ‘governmental-affiliated entity’ 
means a person, ministry,
bureau,
department,
agency,
government corporation,
or any
other en-
tity
chartered, established, sponsored, or supported
by
the government or a dominant political organiza-
tion. 
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‘‘(54) The term ‘particular social group’ means 
a group of individuals that is composed of immu-
table characteristics, socially distinct within the soci-
ety in question, and defined with particularity. 
‘‘(55) The term ‘immutable characteristic’ 
means a characteristic not capable of or susceptible 
to change. 
‘‘(56) The term ‘socially distinct within the so-
ciety in question’ means there is societal differentia-
tion between people in a society who possess a 
shared belief or trait and people in such society who 
do not possess such shared belief or trait. 
‘‘(57) The term ‘defined with particularity’ 
means there are clear, well-defined boundaries be-
tween people who fall within a particular social 
group and people who do not fall within such par-
ticular social group.’’; 
(2) in section 208— 
(A) in subsection (a), by amending para-
graph (1) to read as follows: 
‘‘(1) ASYLUM PROCESS.— 
‘‘(A) PHYSICAL
PRESENCE
IN
UNITED 
STATES.—Any alien who is physically present in 
the United States or who arrives at the United 
States (at a designated port of entry and in-
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