126 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that the amendments in this section to section 235 
of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection 
Reauthorization Act of 2008 (8 U.S.C. 1232) are intended 
to satisfy the requirements of the Settlement Agreement 
in Flores v. Meese, No. 85–4544 (C.D. Cal), as approved 
by the court on January 28, 1997, with respect to its in-
terpretation in Flores v. Johnson, 212 F. Supp. 3d 864 
(C.D. Cal. 2015), that the agreement applies to accom-
panied minors. 
(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 
subsection (a) shall take effect on the date of the enact-
ment of this Act and shall apply to all actions that occur 
before, on, or after such date. 
(d) PREEMPTION OF STATE LICENSING REQUIRE-
MENTS.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, ju-
dicial determination, consent decree, or settlement agree-
ment, no State may require that an immigration detention 
facility used to detain children who have not attained 18 
years of age, or families consisting of one or more of such 
children and the parents or legal guardians of such chil-
dren, that is located in that State, be licensed by the State 
or any political subdivision thereof.
127 
TITLE V—PROTECTION OF 
CHILDREN 
SEC. 501. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) Implementation of the provisions of the 
Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act 
of 2008 that govern unaccompanied alien children 
has incentivized multiple surges of unaccompanied 
alien children arriving at the southwest border in the 
years since the bill’s enactment. 
(2) The provisions of the Trafficking Victims 
Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 that govern 
unaccompanied alien children treat unaccompanied 
alien children from countries that are contiguous to 
the United States disparately by swiftly returning 
them to their home country absent indications of 
trafficking or a credible fear of return, but allowing 
for the release of unaccompanied alien children from 
noncontiguous countries into the interior of the 
United States, often to those individuals who paid to 
smuggle them into the country in the first place. 
(3) The provisions of the Trafficking Victims 
Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 governing 
unaccompanied alien children have enriched the car-
tels, who profit hundreds of millions of dollars each
128 
year by smuggling unaccompanied alien children to 
the southwest border, exploiting and sexually abus-
ing many such unaccompanied alien children on the 
perilous journey. 
(4) Prior to 2008, the number of unaccom-
panied alien children encountered at the southwest 
border never exceeded 1,000 in a single year. 
(5) The United States is currently in the midst 
of the worst crisis of unaccompanied alien children 
in our nation’s history, with over 350,000 such un-
accompanied alien children encountered at the 
southwest border since Joe Biden became President. 
(6) In 2022, during the Biden Administration, 
152,057 unaccompanied alien children were encoun-
tered, the most ever in a single year and an over 
400 percent increase compared to the last full fiscal 
year of the Trump Administration in which 33,239 
unaccompanied alien children were encountered. 
(7) The Biden Administration has lost contact 
with at least 85,000 unaccompanied alien children 
who entered the United States since Joe Biden took 
office. 
(8) The Biden Administration dismantled effec-
tive safeguards put in place by the Trump Adminis-
tration that protected unaccompanied alien children
129 
from being abused by criminals or exploited for ille-
gal and dangerous child labor. 
(9) A recent New York Times investigation 
found that unaccompanied alien children are being 
exploited in the labor market and ‘‘are ending up in 
some of the most punishing jobs in the country.’’. 
(10) The Times investigation found unaccom-
panied alien children, ‘‘under intense pressure to 
earn money’’ in order to ‘‘send cash back to their 
families while often being in debt to their sponsors 
for smuggling fees, rent, and living expenses,’’ 
feared ‘‘that they had become trapped in cir-
cumstances they never could have imagined.’’. 
(11) The Biden Administration’s Department of 
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier 
Becerra compared placing unaccompanied alien chil-
dren with sponsors, to widgets in an assembly line, 
stating that, ‘‘If Henry Ford had seen this in his 
plant, he would have never become famous and rich. 
This is not the way you do an assembly line.’’. 
(12) Department of Health and Human Serv-
ices employees working under Secretary Xavier 
Becerra’s leadership penned a July 2021 memo-
randum expressing serious concern that ‘‘labor traf-
ficking was increasing’’ and that the agency had be-
130 
come ‘‘one that rewards individuals for making quick 
releases, and not one that rewards individuals for 
preventing unsafe releases.’’. 
(13) Despite this, Secretary Xavier Becerra 
pressured then-Director of the Office of Refugee Re-
settlement Cindy Huang to prioritize releases of un-
accompanied alien children over ensuring their safe-
ty, telling her ‘‘if she could not increase the number 
of discharges he would find someone who could’’ and 
then-Director Huang resigned one month later. 
(14) In June 2014, the Obama-Biden Adminis-
tration requested legal authority to exercise discre-
tion in returning and removing unaccompanied alien 
children from non-contiguous countries back to their 
home countries. 
(15) In August 2014, the House of Representa-
tives passed H.R. 5320, which included the Protec-
tion of Children Act. 
(16) This title ends the disparate policies of the 
Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act 
of 2008 by ensuring the swift return of all unaccom-
panied alien children to their country of origin if 
they are not victims of trafficking and do not have 
a fear of return.
131 
SEC. 502. REPATRIATION OF UNACCOMPANIED ALIEN CHIL-
DREN. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 235 of the William Wil-
berforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization 
Act of 2008 (8 U.S.C. 1232) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in paragraph (2)— 
(i) by amending the heading to read 
as follows: ‘‘RULES FOR UNACCOMPANIED 
ALIEN CHILDREN.—’’; 
(ii) in subparagraph (A)— 
(I) in the matter preceding clause 
(i), by striking ‘‘who is a national or 
habitual resident of a country that is 
contiguous with the United States’’; 
(II) in clause (i), by inserting 
‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(III) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘; 
and’’ and inserting a period; and 
(IV) by striking clause (iii); and 
(iii) in subparagraph (B)— 
(I) in the matter preceding clause 
(i), by striking ‘‘(8 U.S.C. 1101 et 
seq.) 
may—’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘(8 
U.S.C. 1101 et seq.)—’’;
132 
(II) in clause (i), by inserting be-
fore ‘‘permit such child to withdraw’’ 
the following: ‘‘may’’; and 
(III) in clause (ii), by inserting 
before ‘‘return such child’’ the fol-
lowing: ‘‘shall’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (5)(D)— 
(i) in the matter preceding clause (i), 
by striking ‘‘, except for an unaccompanied 
alien child from a contiguous country sub-
ject to exceptions under subsection (a)(2),’’ 
and inserting ‘‘who does not meet the cri-
teria listed in paragraph (2)(A)’’; and 
(ii) in clause (i), by inserting before 
the semicolon at the end the following: ‘‘, 
which shall include a hearing before an im-
migration judge not later than 14 days 
after being screened under paragraph (4)’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in paragraph (2)— 
(i) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 
before the semicolon the following: ‘‘be-
lieved not to meet the criteria listed in sub-
section (a)(2)(A)’’; and
133 
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by inserting 
before the period the following: ‘‘and does 
not meet the criteria listed in subsection 
(a)(2)(A)’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘an un-
accompanied alien child in custody shall’’ and 
all that follows, and inserting the following: ‘‘an 
unaccompanied alien child in custody— 
‘‘(A) in the case of a child who does not 
meet the criteria listed in subsection (a)(2)(A), 
shall transfer the custody of such child to the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services not 
later than 30 days after determining that such 
child is an unaccompanied alien child who does 
not meet such criteria; or 
‘‘(B) in the case of a child who meets the 
criteria listed in subsection (a)(2)(A), may 
transfer the custody of such child to the Sec-
retary of Health and Human Services after de-
termining that such child is an unaccompanied 
alien child who meets such criteria.’’; and 
(3) in subsection (c)— 
(A) in paragraph (3), by inserting at the 
end the following:
134 
‘‘(D) INFORMATION
ABOUT
INDIVIDUALS 
WITH WHOM CHILDREN ARE PLACED.— 
‘‘(i) INFORMATION TO BE PROVIDED 
TO HOMELAND SECURITY.—Before placing 
a child with an individual, the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services shall provide 
to the Secretary of Homeland Security, re-
garding the individual with whom the child 
will be placed, information on— 
‘‘(I) the name of the individual; 
‘‘(II) the social security number 
of the individual; 
‘‘(III) the date of birth of the in-
dividual; 
‘‘(IV) the location of the individ-
ual’s residence where the child will be 
placed; 
‘‘(V) the immigration status of 
the individual, if known; and 
‘‘(VI) contact information for the 
individual. 
‘‘(ii) ACTIVITIES OF THE SECRETARY 
OF HOMELAND SECURITY.—Not later than 
30 days after receiving the information 
listed in clause (i), the Secretary of Home-
135 
land Security, upon determining that an 
individual with whom a child is placed is 
unlawfully present in the United States 
and not in removal proceedings pursuant 
to chapter 4 of title II of the Immigration 
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1221 et 
seq.), shall initiate such removal pro-
ceedings.’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (5)— 
(i) by inserting after ‘‘to the greatest 
extent practicable’’ the following: ‘‘(at no 
expense to the Government)’’; and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘have counsel to rep-
resent them’’ and inserting ‘‘have access to 
counsel to represent them’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendments made by 
this section shall apply to any unaccompanied alien child 
(as such term is defined in section 462(g) of the Home-
land Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 279(g))) apprehended 
on or after the date that is 30 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act.
136 
SEC. 503. SPECIAL IMMIGRANT JUVENILE STATUS FOR IM-
MIGRANTS UNABLE TO REUNITE WITH EI-
THER PARENT. 
Section 101(a)(27)(J) of the Immigration and Na-
tionality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(27)(J)) is amended— 
(1) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘, and whose reuni-
fication with 1 or both of the immigrant’s parents 
is not viable due to abuse, neglect, abandonment, or 
a similar basis found under State law’’; and 
(2) in clause (iii)— 
(A) in subclause (I), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(B) in subclause (II), by inserting ‘‘and’’ 
after the semicolon; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(III) an alien may not be grant-
ed special immigrant status under this 
subparagraph if the alien’s reunifica-
tion with any one parent or legal 
guardian is not precluded by abuse, 
neglect, abandonment, or any similar 
cause under State law;’’. 
SEC. 504. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 
Nothing in this title shall be construed to limit the 
following procedures or practices relating to an unaccom-
137 
panied alien child (as defined in section 462(g)(2) of the 
Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 279(g)(2))): 
(1) Screening of such a child for a credible fear 
of return to his or her country of origin. 
(2) Screening of such a child to determine 
whether he or she was a victim of trafficking. 
(3) Department of Health and Human Services 
policy in effect on the date of the enactment of this 
Act requiring a home study for such a child if he or 
she is under 12 years of age. 
TITLE VI—VISA OVERSTAYS 
PENALTIES 
SEC. 601. EXPANDED PENALTIES FOR ILLEGAL ENTRY OR 
PRESENCE. 
Section 275 of the Immigration and Nationality Act 
(8 U.S.C. 1325) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a) by inserting after ‘‘for a 
subsequent commission of any such offense’’ the fol-
lowing: ‘‘or if the alien was previously convicted of 
an offense under subsection (e)(2)(A)’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘at least 
$50 and not more than $250’’ and inserting 
‘‘not less than $500 and not more than 
$1,000’’; and
138 
(B) in paragraph (2), by inserting after 
‘‘in the case of an alien who has been previously 
subject to a civil penalty under this subsection’’ 
the following: ‘‘or subsection (e)(2)(B)’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(e) VISA OVERSTAYS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—An alien who was admitted 
as a nonimmigrant has violated this paragraph if the 
alien, for an aggregate of 10 days or more, has 
failed— 
‘‘(A) to maintain the nonimmigrant status 
in which the alien was admitted, or to which it 
was changed under section 248, including com-
plying with the period of stay authorized by the 
Secretary of Homeland Security in connection 
with such status; or 
‘‘(B) to comply otherwise with the condi-
tions of such nonimmigrant status. 
‘‘(2) PENALTIES.—An alien who has violated 
paragraph (1)— 
‘‘(A) shall— 
‘‘(i) for the first commission of such a 
violation, be fined under title 18, United 
States Code, or imprisoned not more than 
6 months, or both; and
139 
‘‘(ii) for a subsequent commission of 
such a violation, or if the alien was pre-
viously convicted of an offense under sub-
section (a), be fined under such title 18, or 
imprisoned not more than 2 years, or both; 
and 
‘‘(B) in addition to, and not in lieu of, any 
penalty under subparagraph (A) and any other 
criminal or civil penalties that may be imposed, 
shall be subject to a civil penalty of— 
‘‘(i) not less than $500 and not more 
than $1,000 for each violation; or 
‘‘(ii) twice the amount specified in 
clause (i), in the case of an alien who has 
been previously subject to a civil penalty 
under this subparagraph or subsection 
(b).’’. 
TITLE VII—IMMIGRATION 
PAROLE REFORM 
SEC. 701. IMMIGRATION PAROLE REFORM. 
Section 212(d)(5) of the Immigration and Nationality 
Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(d)(5)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(5)(A) Except as provided in subparagraphs (B) 
and (C) and section 214(f), the Secretary of Homeland 
Security, in the discretion of the Secretary, may tempo-
140 
rarily parole into the United States any alien applying for 
admission to the United States who is not present in the 
United States, under such conditions as the Secretary may 
prescribe, on a case-by-case basis, and not according to 
eligibility criteria describing an entire class of potential 
parole recipients, for urgent humanitarian reasons or sig-
nificant public benefit. Parole granted under this subpara-
graph may not be regarded as an admission of the alien. 
When the purposes of such parole have been served in the 
opinion of the Secretary, the alien shall immediately re-
turn or be returned to the custody from which the alien 
was paroled. After such return, the case of the alien shall 
be dealt with in the same manner as the case of any other 
applicant for admission to the United States. 
‘‘(B) The Secretary of Homeland Security may grant 
parole to any alien who— 
‘‘(i) is present in the United States without 
lawful immigration status; 
‘‘(ii) is the beneficiary of an approved petition 
under section 203(a); 
‘‘(iii) is not otherwise inadmissible or remov-
able; and 
‘‘(iv) is the spouse or child of a member of the 
Armed Forces serving on active duty.
141 
‘‘(C) The Secretary of Homeland Security may grant 
parole to any alien— 
‘‘(i) who is a national of the Republic of Cuba 
and is living in the Republic of Cuba; 
‘‘(ii) who is the beneficiary of an approved peti-
tion under section 203(a); 
‘‘(iii) for whom an immigrant visa is not imme-
diately available; 
‘‘(iv) who meets all eligibility requirements for 
an immigrant visa; 
‘‘(v) who is not otherwise inadmissible; and 
‘‘(vi) who is receiving a grant of parole in fur-
therance of the commitment of the United States to 
the minimum level of annual legal migration of 
Cuban nationals to the United States specified in 
the U.S.-Cuba Joint Communique´ on Migration, 
done at New York September 9, 1994, and re-
affirmed in the Cuba-United States: Joint Statement 
on Normalization of Migration, Building on the 
Agreement of September 9, 1994, done at New York 
May 2, 1995. 
‘‘(D) The Secretary of Homeland Security may grant 
parole to an alien who is returned to a contiguous country 
under section 235(b)(3) to allow the alien to attend the 
alien’s immigration hearing. The grant of parole shall not
142 
exceed the time required for the alien to be escorted to, 
and attend, the alien’s immigration hearing scheduled on 
the same calendar day as the grant, and to immediately 
thereafter be escorted back to the contiguous country. A 
grant of parole under this subparagraph shall not be con-
sidered for purposes of determining whether the alien is 
inadmissible under this Act. 
‘‘(E) For purposes of determining an alien’s eligi-
bility for parole under subparagraph (A), an urgent hu-
manitarian reason shall be limited to circumstances in 
which the alien establishes that— 
‘‘(i)(I) the alien has a medical emergency; and 
‘‘(II)(aa) the alien cannot obtain necessary 
treatment in the foreign state in which the alien is 
residing; or 
‘‘(bb) the medical emergency is life-threatening 
and there is insufficient time for the alien to be ad-
mitted to the United States through the normal visa 
process; 
‘‘(ii) the alien is the parent or legal guardian of 
an alien described in clause (i) and the alien de-
scribed in clause (i) is a minor; 
‘‘(iii) the alien is needed in the United States 
in order to donate an organ or other tissue for 
transplant and there is insufficient time for the alien
143 
to be admitted to the United States through the nor-
mal visa process; 
‘‘(iv) the alien has a close family member in the 
United States whose death is imminent and the alien 
could not arrive in the United States in time to see 
such family member alive if the alien were to be ad-
mitted to the United States through the normal visa 
process; 
‘‘(v) the alien is seeking to attend the funeral 
of a close family member and the alien could not ar-
rive in the United States in time to attend such fu-
neral if the alien were to be admitted to the United 
States through the normal visa process; 
‘‘(vi) the alien is an adopted child with an ur-
gent medical condition who is in the legal custody of 
the petitioner for a final adoption-related visa and 
whose medical treatment is required before the ex-
pected award of a final adoption-related visa; or 
‘‘(vii) the alien is a lawful applicant for adjust-
ment of status under section 245 and is returning 
to the United States after temporary travel abroad. 
‘‘(F) For purposes of determining an alien’s eligi-
bility for parole under subparagraph (A), a significant 
public benefit may be determined to result from the parole 
of an alien only if—
145 
‘‘(I) An alien granted parole may not accept employ-
ment, except that an alien granted parole pursuant to sub-
paragraph (B) or (C) is authorized to accept employment 
for the duration of the parole, as evidenced by an employ-
ment authorization document issued by the Secretary of 
Homeland Security. 
‘‘(J) Parole granted after a departure from the 
United States shall not be regarded as an admission of 
the alien. An alien granted parole, whether as an initial 
grant of parole or parole upon reentry into the United 
States, is not eligible to adjust status to lawful permanent 
residence or for any other immigration benefit if the immi-
gration status the alien had at the time of departure did 
not authorize the alien to adjust status or to be eligible 
for such benefit. 
‘‘(K)(i) Except as provided in clauses (ii) and (iii), 
parole shall be granted to an alien under this paragraph 
for the shorter of— 
‘‘(I) a period of sufficient length to accomplish 
the activity described in subparagraph (D), (E), or 
(F) for which the alien was granted parole; or 
‘‘(II) 1 year. 
‘‘(ii) Grants of parole pursuant to subparagraph (A) 
may be extended once, in the discretion of the Secretary, 
for an additional period that is the shorter of—
146 
‘‘(I) the period that is necessary to accomplish 
the activity described in subparagraph (E) or (F) for 
which the alien was granted parole; or 
‘‘(II) 1 year. 
‘‘(iii) Aliens who have a pending application to adjust 
status to permanent residence under section 245 may re-
quest extensions of parole under this paragraph, in 1-year 
increments, until the application for adjustment has been 
adjudicated. Such parole shall terminate immediately upon 
the denial of such adjustment application. 
‘‘(L) Not later than 90 days after the last day of each 
fiscal year, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall sub-
mit to the Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and 
the Committee on the Judiciary of the House of Rep-
resentatives and make available to the public, a report— 
‘‘(i) identifying the total number of aliens pa-
roled into the United States under this paragraph 
during the previous fiscal year; and 
‘‘(ii) containing information and data regarding 
all aliens paroled during such fiscal year, includ-
ing— 
‘‘(I) the duration of parole; 
‘‘(II) the type of parole; and 
‘‘(III) the current status of the aliens so 
paroled.’’.
147 
SEC. 702. IMPLEMENTATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in subsection 
(b), this title and the amendments made by this title shall 
take effect on the date that is 30 days after the date of 
the enactment of this Act. 
(b) EXCEPTIONS.—Notwithstanding subsection (a), 
each of the following exceptions apply: 
(1) Any application for parole or advance parole 
filed by an alien before the date of the enactment of 
this Act shall be adjudicated under the law that was 
in effect on the date on which the application was 
properly filed and any approved advance parole shall 
remain valid under the law that was in effect on the 
date on which the advance parole was approved. 
(2) Section 212(d)(5)(J) of the Immigration 
and Nationality Act, as added by section 701 of this 
title, shall take effect on the date of the enactment 
of this Act. 
(3) Aliens who were paroled into the United 
States pursuant to section 212(d)(5)(A) of the Im-
migration 
and 
Nationality 
Act 
(8 
U.S.C. 
1182(d)(5)(A)) before January 1, 2023, shall con-
tinue to be subject to the terms of parole that were 
in effect on the date on which their respective parole 
was approved.
148 
SEC. 703. CAUSE OF ACTION. 
Any person, State, or local government that experi-
ences financial harm in excess of $1,000 due to a failure 
of the Federal Government to lawfully apply the provisions 
of this title or the amendments made by this title shall 
have standing to bring a civil action against the Federal 
Government in an appropriate district court of the United 
States for appropriate relief. 
SEC. 704. SEVERABILITY. 
If any provision of this title or any amendment by 
this title, or the application of such provision or amend-
ment to any person or circumstance, is held to be uncon-
stitutional, the remainder of this title and the application 
of such provision or amendment to any other person or 
circumstance shall not be affected. 
TITLE VIII—LEGAL WORKFORCE 
SEC. 801. EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION PROC-
ESS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 274A(b) of the Immigra-
tion and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1324a(b)) is amended 
to read as follows: 
‘‘(b) 
EMPLOYMENT
ELIGIBILITY
VERIFICATION 
PROCESS.— 
‘‘(1) NEW HIRES, RECRUITMENT, AND REFER-
RAL.—The requirements referred to in paragraphs 
(1)(B) and (3) of subsection (a) are, in the case of
149 
a person or other entity hiring, recruiting, or refer-
ring an individual for employment in the United 
States, the following: 
‘‘(A) ATTESTATION
AFTER
EXAMINATION 
OF DOCUMENTATION.— 
‘‘(i) 
ATTESTATION.—During 
the 
verification period (as defined in subpara-
graph (E)), the person or entity shall at-
test, under penalty of perjury and on a 
form, including electronic format, des-
ignated or established by the Secretary by 
regulation not later than 6 months after 
the date of the enactment of title VIII of 
division B of the Secure the Border Act of 
2023, that it has verified that the indi-
vidual is not an unauthorized alien by— 
‘‘(I) obtaining from the indi-
vidual the individual’s social security 
account number or United States 
passport number and recording the 
number on the form (if the individual 
claims to have been issued such a 
number), and, if the individual does 
not attest to United States nationality 
under subparagraph (B), obtaining
150 
such identification or authorization 
number established by the Depart-
ment of Homeland Security for the 
alien as the Secretary of Homeland 
Security may specify, and recording 
such number on the form; and 
‘‘(II) examining— 
‘‘(aa) a document relating to 
the individual presenting it de-
scribed in clause (ii); or 
‘‘(bb) a document relating to 
the individual presenting it de-
scribed in clause (iii) and a docu-
ment relating to the individual 
presenting it described in clause 
(iv). 
‘‘(ii) DOCUMENTS
EVIDENCING
EM-
PLOYMENT
AUTHORIZATION
AND
ESTAB-
LISHING
IDENTITY.—A 
document 
de-
scribed in this subparagraph is an individ-
ual’s— 
‘‘(I) unexpired United States 
passport or passport card; 
‘‘(II) unexpired permanent resi-
dent card that contains a photograph;
151 
‘‘(III) unexpired employment au-
thorization card that contains a pho-
tograph; 
‘‘(IV) in the case of a non-
immigrant alien authorized to work 
for a specific employer incident to sta-
tus, a foreign passport with Form I– 
94 or Form I–94A, or other docu-
mentation as designated by the Sec-
retary specifying the alien’s non-
immigrant status as long as the pe-
riod of status has not yet expired and 
the proposed employment is not in 
conflict with any restrictions or limita-
tions identified in the documentation; 
‘‘(V) passport from the Fed-
erated States of Micronesia (FSM) or 
the Republic of the Marshall Islands 
(RMI) with Form I–94 or Form I– 
94A, or other documentation as des-
ignated by the Secretary, indicating 
nonimmigrant admission under the 
Compact of Free Association Between 
the United States and the FSM or 
RMI; or
152 
‘‘(VI) other document designated 
by the Secretary of Homeland Secu-
rity, if the document— 
‘‘(aa) contains a photograph 
of the individual and biometric 
identification data from the indi-
vidual and such other personal 
identifying information relating 
to the individual as the Secretary 
of Homeland Security finds, by 
regulation, sufficient for purposes 
of this clause; 
‘‘(bb) is evidence of author-
ization of employment in the 
United States; and 
‘‘(cc) contains security fea-
tures to make it resistant to tam-
pering, counterfeiting, and fraud-
ulent use. 
‘‘(iii) DOCUMENTS
EVIDENCING
EM-
PLOYMENT AUTHORIZATION.—A document 
described in this subparagraph is an indi-
vidual’s social security account number 
card (other than such a card which speci-
fies on the face that the issuance of the
153 
card does not authorize employment in the 
United States). 
‘‘(iv) 
DOCUMENTS
ESTABLISHING 
IDENTITY
OF
INDIVIDUAL.—A document 
described in this subparagraph is— 
‘‘(I) an individual’s unexpired 
State issued driver’s license or identi-
fication card if it contains a photo-
graph and information such as name, 
date of birth, gender, height, eye 
color, and address; 
‘‘(II) an individual’s unexpired 
United States military identification 
card; 
‘‘(III) an individual’s unexpired 
Native American tribal identification 
document issued by a tribal entity rec-
ognized by the Bureau of Indian Af-
fairs; or 
‘‘(IV) in the case of an individual 
under 18 years of age, a parent or 
legal guardian’s attestation under 
penalty of law as to the identity and 
age of the individual.
154 
‘‘(v) AUTHORITY TO PROHIBIT USE OF 
CERTAIN DOCUMENTS.—If the Secretary of 
Homeland Security finds, by regulation, 
that any document described in clause (i), 
(ii), or (iii) as establishing employment au-
thorization or identity does not reliably es-
tablish such authorization or identity or is 
being used fraudulently to an unacceptable 
degree, the Secretary may prohibit or place 
conditions on its use for purposes of this 
paragraph. 
‘‘(vi) SIGNATURE.—Such attestation 
may be manifested by either a handwritten 
or electronic signature. 
‘‘(B) INDIVIDUAL
ATTESTATION
OF
EM-
PLOYMENT
AUTHORIZATION.—During 
the 
verification period (as defined in subparagraph 
(E)), the individual shall attest, under penalty 
of perjury on the form designated or established 
for purposes of subparagraph (A), that the indi-
vidual is a citizen or national of the United 
States, an alien lawfully admitted for perma-
nent residence, or an alien who is authorized 
under this Act or by the Secretary of Homeland 
Security to be hired, recruited, or referred for
155 
such employment. Such attestation may be 
manifested by either a handwritten or electronic 
signature. The individual shall also provide that 
individual’s social security account number or 
United States passport number (if the indi-
vidual claims to have been issued such a num-
ber), and, if the individual does not attest to 
United States nationality under this subpara-
graph, such identification or authorization num-
ber established by the Department of Homeland 
Security for the alien as the Secretary may 
specify. 
‘‘(C) RETENTION OF VERIFICATION FORM 
AND VERIFICATION.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—After completion 
of such form in accordance with subpara-
graphs (A) and (B), the person or entity 
shall— 
‘‘(I) retain a paper or electronic 
version of the form and make it avail-
able for inspection by officers of the 
Department of Homeland Security, 
the Department of Justice, or the De-
partment of Labor during a period be-
ginning on the date of the recruiting
156 
or referral of the individual, or, in the 
case of the hiring of an individual, the 
date on which the verification is com-
pleted, and ending— 
‘‘(aa) in the case of the re-
cruiting or referral of an indi-
vidual, 3 years after the date of 
the recruiting or referral; and 
‘‘(bb) in the case of the hir-
ing of an individual, the later of 
3 years after the date the 
verification is completed or one 
year after the date the individ-
ual’s employment is terminated; 
and 
‘‘(II) during the verification pe-
riod (as defined in subparagraph (E)), 
make an inquiry, as provided in sub-
section (d), using the verification sys-
tem to seek verification of the identity 
and employment eligibility of an indi-
vidual. 
‘‘(ii) CONFIRMATION.— 
‘‘(I) 
CONFIRMATION
RE-
CEIVED.—If the person or other entity
157 
receives an appropriate confirmation 
of an individual’s identity and work 
eligibility under the verification sys-
tem within the time period specified, 
the person or entity shall record on 
the form an appropriate code that is 
provided under the system and that 
indicates a final confirmation of such 
identity and work eligibility of the in-
dividual. 
‘‘(II) TENTATIVE NONCONFIRMA-
TION
RECEIVED.—If the person or 
other entity receives a tentative non-
confirmation of an individual’s iden-
tity or work eligibility under the 
verification system within the time pe-
riod specified, the person or entity 
shall so inform the individual for 
whom the verification is sought. If the 
individual does not contest the non-
confirmation within the time period 
specified, the nonconfirmation shall be 
considered final. The person or entity 
shall then record on the form an ap-
propriate code which has been pro-
158 
vided under the system to indicate a 
final nonconfirmation. If the indi-
vidual does contest the nonconfirma-
tion, the individual shall utilize the 
process for secondary verification pro-
vided under subsection (d). The non-
confirmation will remain tentative 
until a final confirmation or noncon-
firmation 
is 
provided 
by 
the 
verification system within the time pe-
riod specified. In no case shall an em-
ployer terminate employment of an in-
dividual because of a failure of the in-
dividual to have identity and work eli-
gibility confirmed under this section 
until a nonconfirmation becomes final. 
Nothing in this clause shall apply to a 
termination of employment for any 
reason other than because of such a 
failure. In no case shall an employer 
rescind the offer of employment to an 
individual because of a failure of the 
individual to have identity and work 
eligibility confirmed under this sub-
section until a nonconfirmation be-
159 
comes final. Nothing in this subclause 
shall apply to a recission of the offer 
of employment for any reason other 
than because of such a failure. 
‘‘(III) FINAL CONFIRMATION OR 
NONCONFIRMATION
RECEIVED.—If a 
final confirmation or nonconfirmation 
is provided by the verification system 
regarding an individual, the person or 
entity shall record on the form an ap-
propriate code that is provided under 
the system and that indicates a con-
firmation or nonconfirmation of iden-
tity and work eligibility of the indi-
vidual. 
‘‘(IV) EXTENSION OF TIME.—If 
the person or other entity in good 
faith attempts to make an inquiry 
during the time period specified and 
the verification system has registered 
that not all inquiries were received 
during such time, the person or entity 
may make an inquiry in the first sub-
sequent working day in which the 
verification system registers that it
160 
has received all inquiries. If the 
verification system cannot receive in-
quiries at all times during a day, the 
person or entity merely has to assert 
that the entity attempted to make the 
inquiry on that day for the previous 
sentence to apply to such an inquiry, 
and does not have to provide any ad-
ditional proof concerning such inquiry. 
‘‘(V) CONSEQUENCES
OF
NON-
CONFIRMATION.— 
‘‘(aa) TERMINATION OR NO-
TIFICATION OF CONTINUED EM-
PLOYMENT.—If the person or 
other entity has received a final 
nonconfirmation regarding an in-
dividual, the person or entity 
may terminate employment of the 
individual (or decline to recruit 
or refer the individual). If the 
person or entity does not termi-
nate employment of the indi-
vidual or proceeds to recruit or 
refer the individual, the person or 
entity shall notify the Secretary
161 
of Homeland Security of such 
fact through the verification sys-
tem or in such other manner as 
the Secretary may specify. 
‘‘(bb) 
FAILURE
TO
NO-
TIFY.—If the person or entity 
fails to provide notice with re-
spect to an individual as required 
under item (aa), the failure is 
deemed to constitute a violation 
of subsection (a)(1)(A) with re-
spect to that individual. 
‘‘(VI) CONTINUED EMPLOYMENT 
AFTER FINAL NONCONFIRMATION.—If 
the person or other entity continues to 
employ (or to recruit or refer) an indi-
vidual after receiving final noncon-
firmation, a rebuttable presumption is 
created that the person or entity has 
violated subsection (a)(1)(A). 
‘‘(D) EFFECTIVE DATES OF NEW PROCE-
DURES.— 
‘‘(i) HIRING.—Except as provided in 
clause (iii), the provisions of this para-
graph shall apply to a person or other enti-