native to detention if the Secretary deter-
mines that the alien poses a security 
threat.’’; 
(iii) in clause (iii)— 
(I) in subclause (III)— 
(aa) by inserting after ‘‘an 
opportunity for the alien to be 
heard’’ the following: ‘‘, including 
by being questioned by counsel 
for the alien,’’; and 
(bb) by adding at the end 
the following: ‘‘If the alien is rep-
resented by counsel or seeks rep-
resentation by counsel and re-
quests the appearance such coun-
sel for purposes of the review 
under this clause, the hearing 
shall be rescheduled so that coun-
sel can appear.’’; and 
(II) by striking subclause (IV); 
(III) by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(IV) REQUESTS FOR RECONSID-
ERATION.—An alien may request re-
consideration of an asylum officer’s 
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determination under subclause (I), 
and removal shall be stayed until the 
request has been fully considered. If 
the request for reconsideration is not 
granted, a written, detailed reasoning 
for the denial shall be provided. 
‘‘(V) 
INTERVIEWS
NOT
CON-
DUCTED
IN
CBP
CUSTODY.—Inter-
views of aliens conducted under this 
subparagraph may not be conducted 
of a covered asylum seeker (as such 
term is defined in section 235B) in 
the custody of U.S. Customs and Bor-
der Protection or the agents thereof. 
‘‘(VI) LIMITATION ON CONSIDER-
ATION OF CERTAIN FACTORS.—Inter-
views conducted under this subpara-
graph shall be limited to whether the 
alien has a credible fear of persecution 
and to the factors described in clause 
(vii). In making such determination, 
the asylum officer may not consider 
any of the bars to asylum described in 
section 208(b)(2).’’; and 
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(IV) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(vi) LIMITATION ON USE OF INFOR-
MATION OBTAINED DURING INTERVIEW.— 
Information obtained during an interview 
conducted under this subparagraph may 
not be disclosed or used for the purpose of 
immigration enforcement. 
‘‘(vii) 
CONSIDERATION
OF
ELIGI-
BILITY
FOR
ADDITIONAL
FORMS
OF
RE-
LIEF.—In conducting an interview under 
this subparagraph, the asylum officer shall 
consider, in addition to whether the alien 
has a credible fear of persecution, whether 
the alien may be prima facie eligible for 
any other form of relief from removal, in-
cluding— 
‘‘(I) 
withholding 
of 
removal 
under section 241(b)(3) or any cause 
or claim under the United Nations 
Convention 
Against 
Torture 
and 
Other Forms of Cruel, Inhuman, or 
Degrading Treatment or Punishment; 
‘‘(II) status under subparagraph 
(T) or (U) of section 101(a)(15); 
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‘‘(III) special immigrant juvenile 
status; 
‘‘(IV) family reunification pursu-
ant to an approved I–130 petition; 
‘‘(V) any other basis for relief 
from removal under the immigration 
laws.’’; 
(C) in subparagraph (E)— 
(i) in the matter preceding clause (i), 
by inserting after ‘‘means an immigration 
officer’’ the following: ‘‘employed in the 
Refugee, Asylum and International Oper-
ations Directorate of U.S. Citizenship and 
Immigration Services’’; 
(ii) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(iii) by redesignating clause (ii) as 
clause (iii); 
(iv) by inserting after clause (i) the 
following: 
‘‘(ii) has had professional training in 
eligibility criteria for the forms of relief de-
scribed in subparagraph (B)(vii), and’’; 
and 
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(v) in clause (iii), as so redesignated, 
by striking ‘‘the condition described in 
clause (i) and has had substantial experi-
ence adjudicating asylum applications’’ and 
inserting ‘‘the conditions described in 
clauses (i) and (ii) and has had substantial 
experience adjudicating asylum applica-
tions and determining prima facie eligi-
bility for the forms of relief described sub-
paragraph (B)(vii)’’; 
(2) by inserting after section 235A the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘SEC. 235B. HUMANITARIAN PROCESSING CENTERS FOR 
ASYLUM SEEKERS. 
‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT
OF HUMANITARIAN PROC-
ESSING CENTERS.—Not later than one year after the date 
of enactment of this section, the Secretary of Homeland 
Security shall establish 5 humanitarian processing centers 
along the southern border of the United States, at which 
a covered asylum seeker shall— 
‘‘(1) be interviewed by an asylum officer to de-
termine whether the alien has a credible fear of per-
secution; 
‘‘(2) receive legal orientation and case-manage-
ment referral services; and 
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‘‘(3) receive a medical and mental health 
screening. 
‘‘(b) COVERED ASYLUM SEEKER.—In the section, the 
term ‘covered asylum seeker’ means an alien who— 
‘‘(1) arrives at the southern border of the 
United States (whether or not at a designated port 
of arrival and including an alien who is brought to 
the United States after having been interdicted in 
international or United States waters); 
‘‘(2) is 18 years of age or older and does not 
arrive at the souther border of the United States as 
part of a family unit with minor children; and 
‘‘(3) indicates either an intention to apply for 
asylum under section 208 or a fear of persecution. 
‘‘(c) APPLICABLE TIME PERIODS.— 
‘‘(1) MANDATORY
REST
PERIOD.—An asylum 
officer may not conduct an interview of a covered 
asylum seeker to determine whether the alien has a 
credible fear of persecution until at least 72 hours 
after the alien arrives at the humanitarian proc-
essing center. 
‘‘(2) NOTICE TO COUNSEL.—Not later than 48 
hours after a covered asylum seeker arrives at a hu-
manitarian processing center, the asylum officer 
shall notify by email any counsel for the alien who 
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filed a notice of entry of appearance, using the email 
address that is on such notice of entry of appear-
ance, of the impending interview to determine 
whether the alien has a credible fear of persecution. 
‘‘(3) LIMITATION ON DETENTION AT HUMANI-
TARIAN
PROCESSING
CENTER.—A covered asylum 
seeker shall be detained at a humanitarian proc-
essing center, for not longer than 15 days, pending 
an interview by an asylum officer to determine 
whether the alien has a credible fear of persecution. 
In the case that an asylum officer has not conducted 
an interview of a covered asylum seeker to determine 
whether the alien has a credible fear of persecution 
prior to the expiration of the 15-day period after the 
alien arrives at the humanitarian processing center, 
the alien shall be released from the humanitarian 
processing center and given a notice to appear under 
section 239 for the purpose of such interview. 
‘‘(d) NOTICE TO APPEAR.—If the asylum officer de-
termines that the covered asylum seeker has a credible 
fear of persecution, the covered asylum seeker shall be re-
leased from the humanitarian processing center not later 
than 24 hours after such determination is made, and given 
a notice to appear under section 239 at the immigration 
court that is closest in proximity to the city in which the 
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alien intends to relocate. Prior to releasing an alien under 
this subsection, the asylum officer shall provide advanced 
notice to, and shall coordinate with, nonprofit shelters in 
or closest to the jurisdiction in which the alien intends 
to relocate. An alien may only be released under this sub-
section between normal business hours, unless the asylum 
officer made special accommodations for the release of the 
alien outside of those hours. 
‘‘(e) REPATRIATION.—If the asylum officer deter-
mines that the covered asylum seeker does not have a 
credible fear of persecution, the alien shall be removed in 
accordance with section 235(b)(1)(B)(iii). The asylum of-
ficer shall provide the covered asylum seeker with specific 
findings and a written decision supporting their decision, 
as well as information on pursuing a reconsideration or 
judicial review of the asylum officer’s negative determina-
tion, in a language that the covered individual can under-
stand. 
‘‘(f) ENSURING ACCESS TO INTERPRETERS.—Prior 
to conducting an interview of a covered asylum seeker to 
determine whether the alien has a credible fear of persecu-
tion, an asylum officer shall ascertain from the alien the 
alien’s primary language, and shall make an interpreter 
available to the alien for such interview and for prepara-
tion for such interview. In the case that an interpreter 
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in the alien’s primary language is not available prior to 
the expiration of the 15-day period described in subsection 
(c)(3), the alien shall be released and given a notice to 
appear in accordance with such subsection. 
‘‘(g) SERVICES.—The Secretary shall provide to cov-
ered asylum seekers at humanitarian processing centers 
the following: 
‘‘(1) Orientation about the asylum seeking proc-
ess. 
‘‘(2) Legal counsel and other materials to pre-
pare for the interview described in subsection (a). 
‘‘(3) Referrals to community-based case man-
agement services. 
‘‘(4) Interpreters. 
‘‘(5) Medical and mental health screening. 
‘‘(h) STAFF.—Each humanitarian processing center 
shall be staffed and operated by U.S. Citizenship and Im-
migration Services personnel and Office of Refugee Reset-
tlement personnel. Immigration and Customs Enforce-
ment and Customs and Border Protection agents shall not 
staff the center, except that Customs and Border per-
sonnel may be present for limited administrative and data 
entry purposes. 
‘‘(i) ADDITIONAL SERVICE PROVIDERS.—The Sec-
retary shall enter into contracts with nonprofit legal serv-
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ice providers, medical providers, and other nongovern-
mental organizations and community-based services to 
provide services to covered asylum seekers at humani-
tarian processing centers, who shall have access to such 
services at no cost. 
‘‘(j) GRANTS FOR LEGAL SERVICE PROVIDERS.— 
‘‘(1) 
AUTHORIZATION.—The 
Secretary 
of 
Homeland Security is authorized to make grants to 
legal service providers to provide legal counsel to 
covered asylum seekers at humanitarian processing 
centers. 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBILITY.—In order to be eligible for a 
grant under this section a legal service provider shall 
have demonstrated experience— 
‘‘(A) communicating with clients in Span-
ish, English, and such other languages as the 
Secretary determines appropriate; and 
‘‘(B) providing legal counsel to asylum 
seekers. 
‘‘(3) APPLICATION.—The chief executive of a 
legal service provider seeking a grant under this sec-
tion shall submit to the Secretary an application at 
such time, in such manner, and containing such in-
formation as the Secretary may reasonably require. 
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‘‘(4) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as 
may be necessary to carry out this section. 
‘‘(k) EXTERNAL HUMAN RIGHTS MONITORING.—The 
Secretary shall ensure that appropriate nongovernmental 
organizations that have expertise in monitoring immigra-
tion detention facilities for human rights abuses, and other 
appropriate nongovernmental organizations, are provided 
with regular and unannounced access to humanitarian 
processing centers.’’; 
(3) in section 241(a)(5)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘If the Attorney General’’ 
and inserting ‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL—Except as 
provided in subparagraphs (B) and (C), the 
Secretary of Homeland Security’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(B) INTENTION
TO
APPLY
FOR
ASY-
LUM.—The Secretary shall not reinstate a prior 
order of removal if an alien indicates either an 
intention to apply for asylum under section 208 
or a fear of persecution 
‘‘(C) REQUIREMENT TO VACATE CERTAIN 
REINSTATED
ORDERS
OF
REMOVAL.—If an 
alien with a prior order of removal that has 
been reinstated by the Secretary is determined 
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to have a credible fear of persecution, or to be 
prima facie eligible for a form of relief de-
scribed in section 235(b)(1)(B)(vii), the Sec-
retary shall vacate the reinstated order of re-
moval and issue a notice to appear for removal 
proceedings under section 240.’’; and 
(4) in section 242, by repealing subsection (e). 
SEC. 3. STUDY ON EXPANSION OF MODEL. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Homeland Secu-
rity shall conduct a study on the effect of this Act, and 
the amendments made by this Act, on migration by cov-
ered asylum seekers (as such term is defined in section 
235B of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended 
by this Act) and make recommendations with respect to 
expanding the humanitarian processing centers model to 
other noncitizens entering the United States. 
(b) NONCITIZEN DEFINED.—In this section, the term 
‘‘noncitizen’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘alien’’ in 
section 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
U.S.C. 1101). 
Æ 
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