I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 469 
To require asylum officers at United States embassies and consulates to 
conduct credible fear screenings before aliens seeking asylum may be 
permitted to enter the United States to apply for asylum, and for 
other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 24, 2023 
Mr. HERN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To require asylum officers at United States embassies and 
consulates to conduct credible fear screenings before 
aliens seeking asylum may be permitted to enter the 
United States to apply for asylum, and for other pur-
poses. 
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 ‘‘Asylum Abuse Reduc-
tion Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. ASYLUM INTERVIEWS. 
(a) BORDER CROSSINGS.—Notwithstanding section 
235(b)(1) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 
U.S.C. 1225(b)(1)), 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 document, the im-
migration officer who is inspecting the alien— 
(1) may not admit or parole the alien into the 
United States; and 
(2) shall advise the alien to schedule an asylum 
hearing with the most convenient United States em-
bassy or consulate in Canada or Mexico. 
(b) CREDIBLE FEAR SCREENINGS.—An alien de-
scribed in subsection (a) may only be permitted to enter 
the United States to apply for asylum if an asylum officer 
stationed at a United States embassy or consulate— 
(1) has conducted an in-person or telephonic 
interview with the alien; and 
(2) as a result of such interview, has concluded 
that the alien— 
(A)(i) has been persecuted in the alien’s 
country of nationality on account of the alien’s 
race, religion, nationality, membership in a par-
ticular social group, or political opinion; 
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(ii) has a credible fear of persecution (as 
defined in section 235(b)(1)(B) of the Immigra-
tion 
and 
Nationality 
Act 
(8 
U.S.C. 
1225(b)(1)(B))) if the alien returned to such 
country; or 
(iii) would be subject to torture by a gov-
ernment or public official acting under the color 
of law if the alien returned to his or her coun-
try of nationality; and 
(B) is otherwise eligible for asylum under 
section 208(a) of that Act (8 U.S.C. 1158(a)). 
SEC. 3. ASYLUM INELIGIBILITY. 
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 the 
date of the enactment of this subpara-
graph, enters, 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 
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countries other than the country of citizen-
ship, nationality, or last lawful habitual 
residence 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) 
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— 
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