GRACE Act
Bill: S.1135 | Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J. (D-MA)
Policy area: Immigration

Summary:
Guaranteed Refugee Admission Ceiling Enhancement Act or the GRACE Act
This bill establishes that the maximum number of refugees admitted each fiscal year shall be no less than 125,000 and that the maximum number shall be treated as the numerical goal for refugee admissions for the applicable fiscal year. The President may set a higher number if it is justified by humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest.
Currently, the number admitted each fiscal year may not exceed 50,000 unless the President determines that a higher number is justified by humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest.
The bill directs the President to take into consideration information from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees when establishing the maximum admission number and making certain other related decisions. The President shall report to Congress quarterly on (1) the number of refugees admitted during the preceding quarter, (2) the number of aliens who were security-cleared during the preceding quarter, (3) a plan to reach the numerical goal for admitted refugees for that fiscal year, and (4) other related information.

To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the President 
to set a minimum annual goal for the number of refugees to be admitted, 
                        and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Guaranteed Refugee Admission Ceiling 
Enhancement Act'' or the ``GRACE Act''.

SEC. 2. ADMISSION OF REFUGEES.

    Section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157) 
is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) by striking paragraphs (1) and (2) and 
                inserting the following:
            ``(1) In general.--Except as provided in subsection (b), 
        the number of refugees who may be admitted under this section 
        in any fiscal year shall be such number as the President 
        determines is--
                    ``(A) justified by humanitarian concerns or 
                otherwise in the national interest; and
                    ``(B) not fewer than 125,000.
            ``(2) Absence of determination.--If the President does not 
        issue a determination under paragraph (1) before the beginning 
        of a fiscal year, the number of refugees who may be admitted 
        under this section shall be 125,000.'';
                    (B) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and (4) as 
                paragraphs (4) and (7), respectively;
                    (C) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
            ``(3) Numerical goals.--Each officer of the Federal 
        Government responsible for refugee admissions or refugee 
        resettlement shall treat as the numerical goals for refugee 
        admissions under this section for the applicable fiscal year--
                    ``(A)(i) a determination under paragraph (1); or
                    ``(ii) in the absence of a determination under 
                paragraph (1), the number under paragraph (2); and
                    ``(B) a determination under subsection (b).''; and
                    (D) by inserting after paragraph (4), as 
                redesignated, the following:
            ``(5) Consideration of resettlement needs.--In making a 
        determination under paragraph (1), the President shall consider 
        the number of refugees who, during the calendar year beginning 
        immediately after the beginning of the applicable fiscal year, 
        are in need of resettlement in a third country, as determined 
        by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in the 
        most recently published projected global resettlement needs 
        report.
            ``(6) Regional allocations.--The President shall determine 
        regional allocations for admissions under this subsection, 
        which shall--
                    ``(A) consider the projected needs identified by 
                the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in 
                the projected global resettlement needs report for the 
                calendar year beginning immediately after the beginning 
                of the applicable fiscal year; and
                    ``(B) include an unallocated reserve that the 
                Secretary of State, after notifying the Committee on 
                the Judiciary of the Senate and the Committee on the 
                Judiciary of the House of Representatives, may use for 
                1 or more regions in which the need for additional 
                refugee admissions arises.''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(g) Quarterly Reports on Admissions.--Not later than 15 days 
after the last day of each quarter, the President shall submit to the 
Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and the Committee on the 
Judiciary of the House of Representatives a report that includes the 
following:
            ``(1) Refugees admitted.--
                    ``(A) The number of refugees admitted to the United 
                States during the preceding quarter.
                    ``(B) The number of refugees admitted to the United 
                States during the preceding quarter, expressed as a 
                percentage of the number of refugees authorized to be 
                admitted in accordance with the determinations under 
                subsections (a) and (b) for the applicable fiscal year.
                    ``(C) The cumulative number of refugees admitted to 
                the United States during the applicable fiscal year, as 
                of the last day of the preceding quarter.
                    ``(D) The number of refugees to be admitted to the 
                United States during the remainder of the applicable 
                fiscal year so as to achieve the numerical goals set 
                forth in the determinations under subsections (a) and 
                (b) for such fiscal year.
                    ``(E) The number of refugees from each region 
                admitted to the United States during the preceding 
                quarter, expressed as a percentage of the allocation 
                for each region under subsection (a)(6) for the 
                applicable fiscal year.
            ``(2) Aliens with security advisory opinions.--
                    ``(A) The number of aliens, by nationality, for 
                whom a Security Advisory Opinion has been requested who 
                were security-cleared during the preceding quarter, 
                expressed as a percentage of all cases successfully 
                adjudicated by the Director of the U.S. Citizenship and 
                Immigration Services in the applicable fiscal year.
                    ``(B) The number of aliens, by nationality, for 
                whom a Security Advisory Opinion has been requested who 
                were admitted to the United States during the preceding 
                quarter.
            ``(3) Circuit rides.--
                    ``(A) For the preceding quarter--
                            ``(i) the number of Refugee Corps officers 
                        deployed on circuit rides, expressed as a 
                        percentage of the overall number of Refugee 
                        Corps officers;
                            ``(ii) the number of individuals 
                        interviewed--
                                    ``(I) on each circuit ride; and
                                    ``(II) at each circuit ride 
                                location;
                            ``(iii) the number of circuit rides; and
                            ``(iv) for each circuit ride--
                                    ``(I) the duration of the circuit 
                                ride;
                                    ``(II) the average number of 
                                interviews conducted daily on the 
                                circuit ride; and
                                    ``(III) the percentages of 
                                interviews conducted for--
                                            ``(aa) individuals who 
                                        require Security Advisory 
                                        Opinions; and
                                            ``(bb) individuals who do 
                                        not require Security Advisory 
                                        Opinions.
                    ``(B) For the subsequent quarter--
                            ``(i) the number of circuit rides 
                        scheduled; and
                            ``(ii) the number of circuit rides planned.
            ``(4) Processing.--For the preceding quarter--
                    ``(A) the average number of days between--
                            ``(i) the date on which an individual is 
                        identified by the United States Government as a 
                        refugee; and
                            ``(ii) the date on which such individual is 
                        interviewed by the Secretary of Homeland 
                        Security;
                    ``(B) the average number of days between--
                            ``(i) the date on which an individual 
                        identified by the United States Government as a 
                        refugee is interviewed by the Secretary of 
                        Homeland Security; and
                            ``(ii) the date on which such individual is 
                        admitted to the United States; and
                    ``(C) with respect to individuals identified by the 
                United States Government as refugees who have been 
                interviewed by the Secretary of Homeland Security, the 
                approval, denial, and hold rates for the applications 
                for admission of such individuals, by nationality.
            ``(5) Plan and additional information.--
                    ``(A) A plan that describes the procedural or 
                personnel changes necessary to ensure the admission of 
                the number of refugees authorized to be admitted to the 
                United States in accordance with determinations under 
                subsections (a) and (b), including a projection of the 
                number of refugees to be admitted to the United States 
                each month so as to achieve the numerical goals set 
                forth in such determinations.
                    ``(B) Additional information relating to the pace 
                of refugee admissions, as determined by the President.
    ``(h) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section may be 
construed--
            ``(1) to inhibit the expeditious processing of refugee and 
        asylum applications; or
            ``(2) to restrict the authority of the Secretary of 
        Homeland Security to admit aliens to the United States under 
        any other Act.''.
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