Title: Families Belong Together Act
Policy area: Immigration

Summary:
Families Belong Together Act
This bill grants lawful permanent resident status to certain aliens who were separated from immediate family members by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Children and their legal guardians or parents shall be eligible if  DHS separated them and failed to demonstrate in a hearing that the legal guardian or parent was unfit or presented a danger to the child. Such a child shall be eligible whether he or she remained in the custody of  DHS or the Office of Refugee Settlement, was released to a sponsor, or repatriated to his or her country of origin.
Individuals who are inadmissible for various grounds, including those related to criminal activity or security concerns, shall not be eligible.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services shall grant all applications from eligible individuals for humanitarian parole or for lawful permanent resident status, and no application fees may be charged.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 271 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 271

 To grant lawful permanent resident status to certain eligible persons 
 who were separated from immediate family members by the Department of 
                           Homeland Security.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 30, 2019

Mr. Blumenthal introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To grant lawful permanent resident status to certain eligible persons 
 who were separated from immediate family members by the Department of 
                           Homeland Security.

    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 ``Families Belong Together Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Eligible child.--The term ``eligible child'' means a 
        person who--
                    (A) entered the United States, before attaining 18 
                years of age, at a port of entry or between ports of 
                entry;
                    (B) was separated from his or her parent or legal 
                guardian by the Department of Homeland Security, and 
                the Department failed to demonstrate in a hearing that 
                the parent or legal guardian was unfit or presented a 
                danger to the child;
                    (C)(i) was in the custody of the Department of 
                Homeland Security or the Office of Refugee Resettlement 
                on the date of the enactment of this Act;
                    (ii) has been released to a sponsor, including a 
                family-member sponsor; or
                    (iii) has been repatriated to his or her country of 
                origin; and
                    (D) is not inadmissible under paragraph (2)(C), 
                (2)(E), (2)(G), (2)(H), (2)(I), (3), (6)(E), (6)(G), 
                (8), (10)(C), or (10)(D) of section 212(a) of the 
                Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)).
            (2) Eligible parent.--
                    (A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B), the 
                term ``eligible parent'' means an individual who--
                            (i) is--
                                    (I) a parent of an eligible child; 
                                or
                                    (II) a legal guardian of an 
                                eligible child;
                            (ii) entered the United States at a port of 
                        entry, or between ports of entry, with an 
                        eligible child to whom he or she is a parent or 
                        legal guardian; and
                            (iii) was separated from his or her 
                        eligible child by the Department of Homeland 
                        Security, which failed to demonstrate in a 
                        hearing that the parent or legal guardian was 
                        unfit or presented a danger to the child.
                    (B) Exclusion.--An individual is not an ``eligible 
                parent'' if the individual is inadmissible under 
                paragraph (2)(C), (2)(E), (2)(G), (2)(H), (2)(I), (3), 
                (6)(E), (6)(G), (8), (10)(C), or (10)(D) of section 
                212(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
                1182(a)).

SEC. 3. HUMANITARIAN PAROLE.

    The Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services shall 
grant humanitarian parole into the United States to all eligible 
parents and eligible children who expressly request such parole. The 
Director shall not impose a fee for any such request.

SEC. 4. ADJUSTMENT OF STATUS.

    (a) Eligible Parents.--Eligible parents in the United States shall 
be eligible to apply to the Director of U.S. Citizenship and 
Immigration Services to have their status adjusted to that of an alien 
lawfully admitted for permanent residence. Not later than 30 days after 
receiving such an application from an eligible parent, the Director 
shall adjust the status of such parent to that of an alien lawfully 
admitted for permanent residence.
    (b) Eligible Children.--Eligible children in the United States 
shall be eligible to apply to the Director of U.S. Citizenship and 
Immigration Services to have their status adjusted to that of an alien 
lawfully admitted for permanent residence. Not later than 30 days after 
receiving such an application from an eligible child, the Director 
shall adjust the status of such child to that of an alien lawfully 
admitted for permanent residence.
    (c) Application Fees Prohibited.--The Director of U.S. Citizenship 
and Immigration Services shall not impose a fee for any application 
submitted under this section.

SEC. 5. EXCEPTION TO GROUND OF INADMISSIBILITY.

    For purposes of this Act, assistance provided by a person to a 
member of his or her nuclear family unit shall not render the person 
inadmissible under section 212(a)(6)(E) of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(6)(E)).

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    In addition to any other amounts otherwise authorized to be 
appropriated for such purpose, there is authorized to be appropriated 
to the Executive Office for Immigration Review $5,000,000 for fiscal 
year 2019 to carry out the Legal Orientation Program, including 
educating eligible parents and eligible children of their rights under 
this Act.
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