SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Asylum Abuse Reduc-
tion Act’’. 
SEC. 2. ASYLUM INTERVIEWS. 
(a) BORDER CROSSINGS.—If an alien who is seeking 
asylum in the United States attempts to enter the United 
States from Canada or Mexico at a land port of entry 
without a valid visa or other appropriate entry documents, 
the immigration officer who is inspecting such alien— 
(1) may not admit such alien into the United 
States; and 
(2) shall advise such alien to schedule an asy-
lum hearing with the most convenient United States 
embassy or consulate in Canada or Mexico. 
(b) CREDIBLE FEAR SCREENINGS.—An alien de-
scribed in subsection (a) may not be admitted into the 
United States unless an asylum officer stationed at a 
United States embassy or consulate— 
(1) has conducted an in-person interview with 
the alien; and 
(2) as a result of the interview conducted under 
paragraph (1), has concluded that the alien— 
(A) has been persecuted in the alien’s 
country of origin on account of the alien’s race, 
religion, nationality, membership in a particular 
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social group, or political opinion if the alien re-
turned to such country; or 
(B) would be subject to torture if the alien 
returned to his or her country of origin. 
SEC. 3. CRIMINAL BENCH WARRANTS. 
(a) ISSUANCE.—Each Federal judicial district shall 
appoint at least 1 magistrate or district court judge who, 
upon a showing of probable cause, shall issue a warrant 
of arrest for a violation of section 243(a)(1) of the Immi-
gration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1253(a)(1)). 
(b) PROBABLE CAUSE.—A warrant of removal issued 
under any provision of the Immigration and Nationality 
Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.) that has been in existence 
90 days or more shall constitute prima facie evidence of 
probable cause to issue a warrant under subsection (a). 
SEC. 4. ALTERNATIVES TO DETENTION PILOT PROGRAM. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Homeland 
Security, in consultation with the Director of U.S. Immi-
gration and Customs Enforcement, shall establish an al-
ternatives to detention pilot program in which aliens may 
be released to the supervision of a qualified organization 
that has entered into a contract with the Federal Govern-
ment to facilitate the alien’s compliance with all stages 
of the immigration proceedings. 
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(b) REQUIREMENTS.—An alien may not participate 
in the pilot program established under subsection (a) un-
less the alien— 
(1) certifies that he or she will comply with all 
stages of the immigration proceedings, including re-
moval, if ordered; 
(2) acknowledges that he or she is only entitled 
to a single appeal of a decision by an immigration 
judge; and 
(3) signs a privacy waiver. 
(c) CONSEQUENCES OF BREACH.—An alien who fails 
to comply with the requirements under subsection (b) may 
be subject to a warrant of arrest, detention, and expedited 
removal proceedings. 
(d) PERFORMANCE
METRICS.—The Secretary of 
Homeland Security, in consultation with the Director of 
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, shall de-
velop performance metrics to ensure that organizations 
that enter into a contract pursuant to subsection (a) are 
complying with performance standards. Such metrics 
should include, with respect to aliens released to the super-
vision of an organization— 
(1) absconsion rate; 
(2) arrest rate; 
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(3) rate of completion of immigration case, in-
clude removal; and 
(4) other metrics that the Secretary determines 
are related to compliance with performance stand-
ards. 
(e) PENALTIES.—If an organization that has entered 
into a contract pursuant to subsection (a) fails to comply 
with the performance standards required by such contract, 
the Secretary may— 
(1) require funds paid to the organization for 
any period of noncompliance to be returned; 
(2) terminate the contract with the organiza-
tion; or 
(3) impose any other penalty authorized by the 
contract. 
(f) REPORT.—The Secretary of Homeland Security 
shall submit to the Committee on the Judiciary and the 
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Af-
fairs of the Senate and the Committee on the Judiciary 
and the Committee on Homeland Security of the House 
of Representatives a report on the implementation of the 
alternatives to detention pilot program established under 
this section. 
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SEC. 5. ASYLUM INELIGIBILITY FOR ALIENS TRANSITING 
THROUGH THIRD COUNTRY. 
Section 208(a)(2) of the Immigration and Nationality 
Act (8 U.S.C. 1158(a)(2)) is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘(F) TRANSIT
THROUGH
THIRD
COUN-
TRY.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—Except as pro-
vided in clause (ii), paragraph (1) shall not 
apply to any alien who, on or after date of 
the enactment of this subparagraph, en-
ters, attempts to enter, or arrives in the 
United States through the Southern land 
border after transiting through, on the way 
to the United States, one or more coun-
tries other than the country of citizenship, 
nationality, or last lawful habitual resi-
dence of the alien. 
‘‘(ii) EXCEPTIONS.—Clause (i) shall 
not apply if— 
‘‘(I)(aa) the alien demonstrates 
that he or she applied for protection 
from persecution or torture in one or 
more countries (other than the coun-
try of citizenship, nationality, or last 
lawful habitual residence of the alien) 
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through which the alien transited on 
the way to the United States; and 
‘‘(bb) the alien received a final 
judgment denying the alien protection 
in such country; 
‘‘(II) the alien demonstrates that 
he or she is or has been subject to a 
severe form of trafficking in persons; 
or 
‘‘(III) the one or more countries 
through which the alien transited on 
the way to the United States were 
not, at the time of the transit, parties 
to— 
‘‘(aa) the Convention Relat-
ing to the Status of Refugees, 
done at Geneva July 28, 1951 
(as made applicable by the Pro-
tocol Relating to the Status of 
Refugees, done at New York 
January 31, 1967 (19 UST 
6223); or 
‘‘(bb) 
the 
Convention 
against Torture and Other Cruel, 
Inhuman or Degrading Treat-
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