SAFER Act

Bill: 109-hr-688
Sponsor: Rep. Barrett, J. Gresham [R-SC-3]
Introduced: 2005-02-09 in the House
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Abortion
Administrative fees
Administrative procedure
Administrative remedies
Admission of nonimmigrants
Alien labor
Aliens
Armed Forces and National Security
Arrest
Border patrols
Boundaries
Canada
Child abuse
Child sexual abuse
Citizenship
Civics education
Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Computer matching
Congress
Congressional investigations
Congressional reporting requirements
Conspiracy
Counterfeiting
Crime and Law Enforcement
Crime prevention
Criminal aliens
Criminal investigation
Criminal justice information
Data banks
Department of Homeland Security
Deportation
Detention of persons
Dismissal of employees
Drug abuse
Drug law enforcement
Drug traffic
Drunk driving
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Educational exchanges
Electronic government information
English language
Evidence (Law)
Exchange of persons programs
Expatriation
Families
Family violence
Federal aid to education
Federal aid to law enforcement
Federal employees
Federal law enforcement officers
Federal-state relations
Finance and Financial Sector
Fines (Penalties)
Fingerprints
Firearms
Foreign leaders
Foreign students
Forfeiture
Forgery
Fraud
Fugitives from justice
Genocide
Government Operations and Politics
Government attorneys
Government paperwork
Government publicity
Government trust funds
Grants-in-aid
Health
Higher education
Homicide
Human rights
Identification devices
Illegal aliens
Immigrant education
Immigrants
Incest
Information technology
Informers
Injunctions
International Affairs
International cooperation
Judicial review
Kidnapping
Labor and Employment
Law
Legal fees
Mandatory sentences
Marriage
Married people
Military civic action
Minorities
Murder
Naturalization
Nazism
Oaths
Passports
Performance measurement
Personnel records
Political persecution
Prosecution
Prostitution
Public records
Racial discrimination
Rape
Recruiting and enlistment
Recruiting of employees
Refugees
Religion
Religious liberty
Residence requirements
Right of asylum
Salaries
Science, Technology, Communications
Sentences (Criminal procedure)
Sentencing guidelines
Sex offenders
Skilled labor
Slavery
Smuggling
Social security numbers
State-sponsored terrorism
Sterilization (Birth control)
Student records
Surety and fidelity
Telephone
Terrorism
Torture
Transportation and Public Works
Visas
War crimes
Warrants (Law)
Women

Summary:
action_date: 2005-02-09
text: 
Securing America's Future through Enforcement Reform Act of 2005 (SAFER Act) - Increases the number of personnel assigned to combat alien smuggling. Requires enhanced penalties for certain smuggling-related offenses. 
 
Authorizes the use of military personnel for border enforcement.
 
Increases the number of full-time inspectors within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). 
 
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to require Visa Waiver Program (VWP) participants to have machine-readable passports by October 1, 2005. 
 
Requires consular officers to conduct in-person interviews of visa applicants.
 
Recodifies and amends grounds of inadmissibility and removability. 
 
Applies attestation requirements concerning nondisplacement of U.S. workers to all employers of H-1B (specialty occupation) nonimmigrants. 
 
Requires implementation of an integrated entry-exit system at all land border ports of entry by October 26, 2005.
 
Directs institutions of higher education to provide information on courses taken by foreign students.
 
Requires lawful permanent residents to register with the Secretary annually and other aliens to register every three months.
 
Authorizes visa term compliance bonds for nonimmigrants.
 
Addresses the removal of alien terrorists, criminals, and serious human rights violators.
 
Requires aliens to use secure travel and identification documents.
 
Makes the employment eligibility verification system applicable to all employers. 
 
Requires the expedited removal of undocumented aliens who have not been continuously physically present in the United States for five years (except criminal aliens and asylum seekers).
 
Establishes criminal and civil penalties for aliens who are knowingly unlawfully present.
 
Makes government agencies that prohibit employees from sharing immigration status information with DHS ineligible for Federal law enforcement grants.
 
Authorizes the Secretary to grant asylum to alien refugees. Places the burden of proof on asylum applicants. Requires corroborating evidence where reasonable.
 
Eliminates review of determinations regarding the withholding of removal under the United Nations Convention Against Torture. Limits review of asylum decisions and orders of removal against criminal aliens.
 
Temporarily suspends the VWP, adjustment of status applications, and renewals of temporary protected status. Discontinues nonimmigrant visas for aliens from countries that deny or delay repatriation.
 
Prohibits the issuance of most visas to aliens from countries determined to be state sponsors of terrorism.
 
Limits visa preference allocations for family-sponsored immigrants. Removes unskilled workers from the allocation for employment-based immigrants. Eliminates diversity visas.
 
Requires congressional approval of refugee quotas that exceed the combined total of refugees accepted by other countries.
 
Increases sponsorship levels for immigration applications.
 
Repeals certain adjustment of status provisions of INA.
 
Requires congressional approval for temporary protected status for undocumented aliens.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-04-04
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Claims.
action_date: 2005-03-09
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Security, Infrastructure Protection, and Cybersecurity.
action_date: 2005-02-09
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Homeland Security, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2005-02-09
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Homeland Security, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2005-02-09
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Homeland Security, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2005-02-09
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2005-02-09
text: Introduced in House