I 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 6236 
To require the reunification of families separated upon entry into the United 
States as a result of the ‘‘zero-tolerance’’ immigration policy requiring 
criminal prosecution of all adults apprehended crossing the border ille-
gally, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 27, 2018 
Ms. BASS (for herself, Mr. RICHMOND, Mr. MEEKS, Ms. NORTON, Ms. 
BORDALLO, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mrs. DINGELL, Ms. BONAMICI, Mrs. 
NAPOLITANO, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. SERRANO, Ms. JUDY CHU of California, 
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mrs. TORRES, Mr. DEUTCH, 
Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Ms. ADAMS, Mr. 
LEWIS of Georgia, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, 
Mr. RASKIN, Mr. SOTO, Mr. JEFFRIES, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. 
POLIS, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. FUDGE, 
Mr. LIPINSKI, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, Mr. 
KEATING, 
Mr. 
CICILLINE, 
Mr. 
PERLMUTTER, 
Mr. 
SIRES, 
Ms. 
WASSERMAN
SCHULTZ, 
Mr. 
CAPUANO, 
Mr. 
VARGAS, 
Mr. 
KRISHNAMOORTHI, Ms. FRANKEL of Florida, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. DAVID 
SCOTT of Georgia, Mr. CLAY, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Mr. LAWSON of 
Florida, Ms. MAXINE
WATERS
of California, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. 
BUTTERFIELD, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. AL GREEN 
of Texas, and Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition 
to the Committees on Ways and Means, and Armed Services, for a period 
to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned 
A BILL 
To require the reunification of families separated upon entry 
into the United States as a result of the ‘‘zero-tolerance’’ 
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immigration policy requiring criminal prosecution of all 
adults apprehended crossing the border illegally, 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 ‘‘Family Unity Rights 
and Protection Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FAMILY REUNIFICATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and 
Human Services, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the 
Secretary of State, and the Secretary of Defense together 
shall establish and implement coordinated policies, proce-
dures, and strategies to ensure that each covered child is 
reunited at the earliest possible date with each parent or 
legal guardian from whom the child was separated. 
(b) NOTIFICATION.— 
(1) BENEFICIARIES IN THE UNITED STATES.— 
In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services, in conjunction with the 
Secretary of Homeland Security and the Attorney 
General, shall be responsible for notifying parents 
and guardians who are in the United States of the 
procedures to be used to reunite with each covered 
child who was removed from their care and custody 
and who is in the United States, the location or loca-
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tions of each such covered child, and a means to 
contact each such covered child. 
(2) BENEFICIARIES ABROAD.—In carrying out 
subsection (a), the Secretary of Homeland Security, 
in conjunction with the Secretary of State, the Sec-
retary of Health and Human Services, and the At-
torney General, shall be responsible for carrying out 
the duty described in paragraph (1) in a case in 
which either a covered child or a parent or guardian 
of a covered child has been removed from the United 
States under the immigration laws (as defined in 
section 101(a)(17) of the Immigration and Nation-
ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(17))). 
(c) REGISTRY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The duties described in sub-
sections (a) and (b) shall include the creation of an 
electronic registry for covered children and their par-
ents and guardians. These individuals, whether de-
tained, incarcerated, or not, shall be afforded an op-
portunity to register, or have registered, personal in-
formation about themselves, such as their name, 
date and place of birth, nationality, current location, 
and contact information. The registry shall be used 
by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the 
Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of 
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State, and the Secretary of Defense as one tool 
among others in carrying out subsections (a) and 
(b). 
(2) LIMITATIONS ON USE.—Information in the 
registry, as well as other information obtained by 
the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the 
Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of 
State, or the Secretary of Defense in carrying out 
subsections (a) and (b), shall be used solely to en-
sure that each covered child is reunited at the ear-
liest possible date with each parent or legal guardian 
from whom the child was separated. Such secretaries 
shall establish conditions for the use of the informa-
tion— 
(A) to ensure that the information is not 
used in, or in pursuit of, any criminal prosecu-
tion or other proceeding under the immigration 
laws (as defined in section 101(a)(17) of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1101(a)(17))); 
(B) to limit the redissemination of such in-
formation; 
(C) to ensure the security, confidentiality, 
and destruction of such information; and 
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(D) to protect any privacy rights of indi-
viduals who are subjects of such information. 
(d) STATE CHILD WELFARE.—The duties described 
in subsections (a) and (b) shall include the establishment 
and implementation of policies and procedures to inform 
the appropriate State child welfare agencies whether a 
parent or guardian of a covered child received the requisite 
notices and whether reasonable efforts were made to re-
unite the parent or guardian with each covered child who 
was removed from their care and custody prior to the 
State’s filing of a petition to terminate parental rights. 
(e) REPORT.—Not later than 14 days after the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services, the Secretary of Homeland Security, the 
Secretary of State, and the Secretary of Defense collec-
tively shall submit a report to the Congress describing the 
policies, procedures, and strategies established and imple-
mented under subsection (a). 
(f) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this section, the 
term ‘‘covered child’’ means an unaccompanied alien child 
(as defined in section 462(g)(2) of the Homeland Security 
Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 279(g)(2))) who was removed from 
the care and custody of a parent or legal guardian by a 
Federal official or employee at or near a port of entry, 
or within 100 miles of a border of the United States, pur-
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suant to the Zero-Tolerance Policy for Criminal Illegal 
Entry announced by the Attorney General on April 6, 
2018. 
SEC. 3. CONDITIONS ON TERMINATION OF PARENTAL 
RIGHTS. 
Section 475(5)(E)(ii) of the Social Security Act (42 
U.S.C. 675(5)(E)(ii)) is amended by striking ‘‘; or’’ and 
inserting the following: ‘‘and a compelling reason in this 
subparagraph for the State to not file (or join in the filing 
of such a petition) shall include the removal of the parent 
from the United States or the involvement of the parent 
in (including detention or incarceration pursuant to) a 
civil proceeding under the immigration laws (as defined 
in section 101(a)(17) of the Immigration and Nationality 
Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(17))), or a criminal misdemeanor 
proceeding under section 275(a) of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1325(a)), unless the parent is 
unfit or unwilling to be a parent of the child. Before a 
State may file to terminate the parental rights under such 
this subparagraph, the State (or the county or other polit-
ical subdivision of the State, as the case may be) shall 
make reasonable efforts—’’ 
‘‘(I) to identify, locate, and con-
tact 
(including, 
if 
appropriate, 
through the diplomatic or consular of-
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fices of a country to which the parent 
or legal guardian was removed or 
where a parent, legal guardian, or rel-
ative resides) any parent or legal 
guardian of the child, and where pos-
sible, any potential adult relative of 
the child (as described in section 
471(a)(29)); 
‘‘(II) to notify such a parent or 
legal guardian of the intent of the 
State (or the county or other political 
subdivision of the State, as applicable) 
to file (or join in the filing of) such a 
petition; 
‘‘(III) to reunify the child with 
any such parent or legal guardian; 
and 
‘‘(IV) provide and document ap-
propriate services to the parent or 
legal guardian; or’’. 
SEC. 4. FAMILY ADJUDICATION. 
Section 235(a) of the Immigration and Nationality 
Act (8 U.S.C. 1225(a)) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
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‘‘(6) FAMILY UNITY.—In the case of an alien 
under 18 years of age who arrives in the United 
States (whether or not at a designated port of ar-
rival and including an alien who is brought to the 
United States after having been interdicted in inter-
national or United States waters) accompanied by 
one or more family members (such as a parent, legal 
guardian, spouse, son, daughter, brother, sister, 
aunt, uncle, cousin, or other family member who has 
lived with the alien), all inspections of the alien by 
immigration officers, and all immigration or asylum 
interviews or proceedings involving the alien (such as 
proceedings under this section or section 208, 
209(b), or 240), shall be consolidated, to the max-
imum extent authorized by law, with those of each 
accompanying family member, in order to maintain 
family unity and ensure that the rights of the alien 
are protected, unless— 
‘‘(A) a parent of the alien (unless the 
rights of the parent have been terminated), or 
legal guardian of the alien, requests otherwise; 
‘‘(B) such consolidation will prejudice the 
rights of the alien; or 
‘‘(C) such consolidation will prejudice the 
rights of any of the accompanying family mem-
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bers, in which case such family member may re-
quest that such consolidation, as applied to 
them, be discontinued.’’. 
Æ 
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