I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7650 
To require the Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement 
to ensure that foreign nationals test negative for SARS–CoV–2 before 
repatriation or removal, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 16, 2020 
Mr. NADLER (for himself, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. CA´RDENAS, Mr. CORREA, Ms. 
DEAN, Mrs. DEMINGS, Mr. DEUTCH, Ms. GARCIA of Texas, Mrs. HAYES, 
Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. TED LIEU of Cali-
fornia, Ms. NORTON, Mr. PANETTA, Mr. RASKIN, Ms. SCANLON, Mr. 
VARGAS, and Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ) introduced the following bill; which was 
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To require the Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs 
Enforcement to ensure that foreign nationals test nega-
tive for SARS–CoV–2 before repatriation or removal, 
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 ‘‘Coronavirus Contain-
ment Act of 2020’’. 
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SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforce-
ment repatriated or attempted to repatriate dozens 
of foreign nationals who tested positive for SARS– 
CoV–2 prior to departure from the United States or 
upon arrival in their country of destination. 
(2) Haiti is one of the most vulnerable nations 
in the world to SARS–CoV–2 with only a few dozen 
ventilators for 11 million people. Yet, in April 2020, 
multiple individuals who were repatriated or other-
wise removed to Haiti on a single flight tested posi-
tive for SARS–CoV–2 upon their arrival. In May, 
U.S. 
Immigration 
and 
Customs 
Enforcement 
planned to repatriate more than 100 individuals to 
Haiti, including individuals known to have COVID– 
19, but abandoned these plans after media scrutiny 
and pressure from the Haitian government. 
(3) As of mid-May 2020, more than 100 indi-
viduals have tested positive for SARS–CoV–2 upon 
arrival in Guatemala, prompting Guatemala to sus-
pend repatriation flights from the United States on 
several occasions. 
(4) U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforce-
ment’s patchwork approach to the screening and 
testing of deportees prior to repatriation has failed, 
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leading to the removal of dozens of individuals in-
fected with SARS–CoV–2 to countries with over-
taxed healthcare infrastructures, furthering the glob-
al spread of the disease. 
SEC. 3. TESTING BEFORE REPATRIATION OR REMOVAL. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—During the period described in 
subsection (c), the Director of U.S. Immigration and Cus-
toms Enforcement shall, prior to the repatriation or re-
moval of any individual— 
(1) conduct a viral test to determine if such an 
individual is infected with SARS–CoV–2; and 
(2) engage with the receiving country to ensure, 
subject to subsection (b), that such an individual can 
be safely removed or otherwise repatriated. 
(b) LIMITATION ON REPATRIATION OR REMOVAL.— 
In the case that an individual tested under subsection 
(a)(1) tests positive for SARS–CoV–2, such individual 
may not be removed or otherwise repatriated until such 
individual— 
(1) exhibits no symptoms of COVID–19 for at 
least 10 days; and 
(2) is administered 2 additional viral tests more 
than 24 hours apart and tests negative for SARS– 
CoV–2 each time such a viral test is administered. 
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(c) PERIOD DESCRIBED.—The period described in 
this section is the period beginning on the date of the en-
actment of this Act and ending 180 days after the date 
on which the public health emergency declared by the Sec-
retary of Health and Human Services under section 319 
of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d) with 
respect to COVID–19 is terminated. 
SEC. 4. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. 
Not later than 60 days after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act, the Director of U.S. Immigration and 
Customs Enforcement shall publish on its public website, 
and update on a weekly basis, information related to test-
ing of individuals it intends to remove or repatriate. Such 
information shall be delineated by facility and shall in-
clude— 
(1) the number of removals and repatriations, 
delineated by country of origin; 
(2) the results of the viral tests administered to 
individuals U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforce-
ment intends to remove or repatriate; and 
(3) in the case of individuals U.S. Immigration 
and Customs Enforcement intends to remove or re-
patriate who test positive for SARS–CoV–2, the av-
erage length of stay in detention for such individ-
uals. 
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SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) 
SYMPTOMS
OF
COVID–19.—The 
term 
‘‘symptoms of COVID–19’’ includes— 
(A) fever or chills; 
(B) cough; 
(C) shortness of breath or difficulty 
breathing; 
(D) fatigue; 
(E) muscle or body aches; 
(F) headaches; 
(G) new loss of taste or smell; 
(H) sore throat; 
(I) congestion or runny nose; 
(J) nausea or vomiting; 
(K) diarrhea; or 
(L) any other symptom that the Director 
of the Centers for Disease Control and Preven-
tion determines to be a symptom of COVID–19. 
(2) VIRAL TEST.—The term ‘‘viral test’’ means 
a diagnostic test with respect to SARS–CoV–2 that 
is approved, cleared, or authorized under section 
510(k), 513, 515 or 564 of the Federal Food, Drug, 
and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 360(k), 360c, 360e, or 
360bbb–3). 
Æ 
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