I 
117TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7983 
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to expand the requirements 
for the collection of biometric data, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 8, 2022 
Mr. GOODEN of Texas (for himself, Mr. JACKSON, Mr. DONALDS, Mr. WEBER 
of Texas, Mr. ELLZEY, Mrs. MILLER of Illinois, Mr. TIFFANY, Mr. 
BABIN, Mr. BUCK, and Ms. FOXX) introduced the following bill; which 
was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the 
Committee on Homeland Security, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to expand 
the requirements for the collection of biometric data, 
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 ‘‘Biometric Verification 
for Entry and Reconfirming Identity with Forensics Act 
of 2022’’ or the ‘‘B–VERIFY Act of 2022’’. 
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SEC. 2. COLLECTION OF BIOMETRIC INFORMATION FOR IM-
MIGRATION BENEFITS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title I of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.) is amended by 
inserting after section 106 the following: 
‘‘SEC. 107. COLLECTION OF BIOMETRIC INFORMATION. 
‘‘(a) REQUIREMENT FOR IMMIGRATION BENEFITS.— 
Each individual, whether an alien (including a VAWA self- 
petitioner and an alien admitted or seeking admission 
under section 101(a)(15)(T)) or a national of the United 
States, who files or is the proposed beneficiary of an appli-
cation or petition for an immigration benefit, shall provide 
biometric information to the Secretary of Homeland Secu-
rity or Secretary of State, at a time and in a manner pre-
scribed by the applicable Secretary. 
‘‘(b) COLLECTION FROM ALIENS APPREHENDED BY 
CBP, ICE, OR USCIS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Homeland 
Security shall collect biometric information from 
each alien, including children, encountered by U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and 
Customs Enforcement, or U.S. Citizenship and Im-
migration Services. 
‘‘(2) DNA TEST RESULTS.—In carrying out the 
collection of biometric information under paragraph 
(1), the Secretary shall collect DNA test results, 
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which include a partial DNA profile, for the purpose 
of determining the existence of a claimed genetic re-
lationship. The Secretary shall use and store such 
DNA test results for an associated adjudication or 
to perform any other functions necessary for admin-
istering and enforcing the immigration laws. 
‘‘(c) AUTHORIZED USES OF BIOMETRIC INFORMA-
TION.—The Secretary shall use biometric information col-
lected under this section— 
‘‘(1) to perform criminal history and national 
security background checks; 
‘‘(2) for identity enrollment, verification, and 
management in the immigration lifecycle; 
‘‘(3) for secure document production associated 
with certain immigration and naturalization benefits 
or actions; and 
‘‘(4) to administer and enforce the immigration 
laws. 
‘‘(d) LIMITATION ON ISSUANCE OF BENEFITS.—The 
Secretary may not provide an immigration benefit, and the 
Secretary of State may not issue a visa, to an alien prior 
to the collection of biometric information under subsection 
(a).’’. 
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(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 
of the Immigration and Nationality Act is amended by in-
serting after the item related to section 106 the following: 
‘‘107. Collection of biometric information.’’. 
SEC. 3. BIOMETRIC DEFINED. 
Section 101(a) of the Immigration and Nationality 
Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘(53) The term ‘biometric’ means a measurable 
biological (anatomical and physiological) or behav-
ioral characteristic used for identification of an indi-
vidual, and includes— 
‘‘(A) a fingerprint; 
‘‘(B) a palm print; 
‘‘(C) a photograph (including a facial 
image specifically for facial recognition, as well 
as a photograph of a physical or anatomical 
feature such as a scar, skin mark, or tattoo); 
‘‘(D) a signature; 
‘‘(E) a voice print; 
‘‘(F) an iris image; and 
‘‘(G) DNA (including DNA test results, 
which include a partial DNA profile attesting to 
genetic relationship).’’. 
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SEC. 4. UNACCOMPANIED ALIEN CHILDREN. 
Section 235 of the William Wilberforce Trafficking 
Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 (8 U.S.C. 
1232) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (c)— 
(A) in paragraph (3), by inserting at the 
end the following: 
‘‘(C) BACKGROUND CHECKS OF INDIVID-
UALS WITH WHOM CHILDREN ARE PLACED.— 
Before placing a child with an individual, the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 
conduct a background check on such individual, 
which background check shall include each of 
the following: 
‘‘(i) A public records check. 
‘‘(ii) A check using the Dru Sjodin 
National Sex Offender Public Website. 
‘‘(iii) A National Criminal History 
Background Check, which shall be con-
ducted by the Federal Bureau of Investiga-
tion, based on digital fingerprints or 
digitized paper prints. 
‘‘(iv) A Child Abuse and Neglect (CA/ 
N) check. 
‘‘(v) A State criminal history reposi-
tory or local law enforcement check. 
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‘‘(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, the following information: 
‘‘(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. 
‘‘(VI) Contact information for 
the individual. 
‘‘(ii) SPECIAL RULE.—In the case of a 
child who was apprehended on or after 
June 15, 2012, and before the date of the 
enactment of this subparagraph, who the 
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Secretary of Health and Human Services 
placed with an individual, the Secretary 
shall provide the information listed in 
clause (i) to the Secretary of Homeland 
Security not later than 90 days after such 
date of enactment. 
‘‘(iii) ACTIVITIES OF THE SECRETARY 
OF HOMELAND SECURITY.—Not later than 
30 days after receiving the information 
listed in clause (i), the Secretary of Home-
land Security shall— 
‘‘(I) in the case that the immi-
gration status of an individual with 
whom a child is placed is unknown, 
investigate the immigration status of 
that individual; and 
‘‘(II) upon determining that an 
individual with whom a child is placed 
is unlawfully present in the United 
States, initiate removal proceedings 
pursuant to chapter 4 of title II of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
U.S.C. 1221 et seq.).’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (5)— 
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(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’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(j) SANCTIONS.—In the case of an unaccompanied 
alien child who arrives at any international border of, port 
of entry to, or place between any ports of entry to, the 
United States— 
‘‘(1) an alien parent or guardian, other than an 
alien admitted for lawful permanent residence, of 
such a child shall be— 
‘‘(A) permanently barred from adjusting 
status to that of an alien lawfully admitted for 
permanent residence and becoming a natural-
ized citizen of the United States; 
‘‘(B) deemed to be inadmissible for pur-
poses of section 212(a)(4) of the Immigration 
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182); and 
‘‘(C) deemed to have committed an offense 
described in paragraph (1)(A) of section 274 of 
the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
1324); or 
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‘‘(2) an alien parent or guardian, who is an 
alien admitted for lawful permanent residence, shall 
be ineligible for any Federal public benefit (as such 
term is defined in section 401(c) of the Personal Re-
sponsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation 
Act of 1996).’’. 
SEC. 5. COLLABORATION WITH FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS. 
The Secretary of Homeland Security shall improve 
collaboration and coordination with foreign governments 
and the Biometric Identification Transnational Migration 
Alert Program (commonly referred to as ‘‘BITMAP’’) or 
any successor database, in order to deter and detect immi-
gration and asylum fraud. 
SEC. 6. NOTIFICATION ABOUT FRAUDULENT POTENTIAL 
SPONSORS OF UNACCOMPANIED ALIEN CHIL-
DREN. 
The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall 
notify Immigration and Customs Enforcement and any 
appropriate law enforcement agency, and deny the place-
ment of an unaccompanied alien child (as such term is 
defined in section 462 of the Homeland Security Act of 
2002 (6 U.S.C. 279)) with a potential sponsor if the po-
tential sponsor— 
(1) claims to have familial relationship to the 
unaccompanied alien child, but fails a DNA test, 
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