Save America Comprehensive Immigration Act of 2009

Bill: 111-hr-264
Sponsor: Rep. Jackson-Lee, Sheila [D-TX-18]
Introduced: 2009-01-07 in the House
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Adoption and foster care
Advisory bodies
Border security and unlawful immigration
Caribbean area
Child safety and welfare
Citizenship and naturalization
Computers and information technology
Crime victims
Crimes against children
Crimes against property
Crimes against women
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Criminal justice information and records
Department of Homeland Security
Department of State
Department of the Treasury
Detention of persons
Domestic violence and child abuse
Drug trafficking and controlled substances
Education programs funding
Employment discrimination and employee rights
Evidence and witnesses
Executive agency funding and structure
Family relationships
Foreign labor
Foreign language and bilingual programs
Fraud offenses and financial crimes
Gambling
Government buildings, facilities, and property
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Haiti
Higher education
Human trafficking
Immigration status and procedures
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
Latin America
Law enforcement officers
Lawyers and legal services
Motor vehicles
Public contracts and procurement
Refugees, asylum, displaced persons
Sex, gender, sexual orientation discrimination
Smuggling and trafficking
Student aid and college costs
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers
Telephone and wireless communication
Violent crime
Visas and passports
Wages and earnings

Summary:
action_date: 2009-01-07
text: 
Save America Comprehensive Immigration Act of 2009 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to provide increased protections and eligibility for family-sponsored immigrants.
 
Directs the Secretary of State to establish a Board of Family-based Visa Appeals within the Department of State.
 
Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security (Secretary) to deny a family-based immigration petition by a U.S. petitioner for an alien spouse or child if: (1) the petitioner is on the national sex offender registry for a conviction that resulted in more than one year's imprisonment; (2) the petitioner has failed to rebut such information within 90 days; and (3) granting the petition would put a spouse or child beneficiary in danger of sexual abuse.
 
Directs the Secretary to establish the Task Force to Rescue Immigrant Victims of American Sex Offenders.
 
Authorizes the Secretary to adjust the status of aliens who would otherwise be inadmissible (due to unlawful presence, document fraud, or other specified grounds of inadmissibility) if such aliens have been in the United States for at least five years and meet other requirements. 
 
Authorizes the emergency deployment of Border Patrol agents to a requesting border state.
 
Sets forth provisions for Border Patrol acquisition and use of specified equipment.
 
Directs the Secretary to: (1) provide for additional detention space for illegal aliens; (2) increase Border Patrol agents, airport and land border immigration inspectors, immigration enforcement officers, and fraud and document fraud investigators; (3) enhance Border Patrol training and operational facilities; (4) establish immigration, customs, and agriculture inspector occupations within the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection; (5) reestablish the Border Patrol anti-smuggling unit; (6) establish criminal investigator occupations within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS); (7) increase Border Patrol agent and investigator pay; (8) require foreign language training for appropriate DHS employees; and (9) establish the Fraudulent Documents Task Force.
 
Redefines the term &quot;law enforcement officer&quot; under provisions of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) to include: (1) federal employees not otherwise covered by such term whose duties include the investigation or apprehension of suspected or convicted individuals and who are authorized to carry a firearm; and (2) Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employees whose duties are primarily the collection of delinquent taxes and the securing of delinquent returns. 
 
Authorizes S (witness or informant) nonimmigrant status for aliens in possession of critical reliable information concerning commercial alien smuggling or trafficking in immigration documents. 
 
Establishes a reward program to assist in eliminating immigration-related commercial document fraud operations. 
 
Sets forth unfair immigration-related employment practices.
 
Requires petitioners for nonimmigrant labor to describe their efforts to recruit lawful permanent residents or U.S. citizens. 
 
 Makes permanent an INA provision allowing adjustment of status of certain aliens for whom family-sponsored or employment-based applications or petitions were filed by a specified date.
 
 Lessens immigration consequences for minor criminal offenses. Eliminates retroactive changes in grounds of inadmissibility and removal.
 
Amends criminal offense removal-related provisions.
 
 Increases the worldwide level of diversity immigrants. 
 
 Authorizes adjustment of status for certain nationals or citizens of Haiti.
 
 Eliminates mandatory detention in expedited removal proceedings.
 
 Amends the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 1998 to: (1) waive document fraud as a ground of inadmissibility; and (2) address determinations with respect to children.
 
 Eliminates the one-year filing requirement for asylum applicants. Includes gender persecution within the particular social group category of persecution.
 
Provides for the permanent resident status adjustment of certain temporary protected status persons.
 
 Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to eliminate a provision prohibiting restrictions on the communication of immigration status information by a government entity. 
 
Replaces the existing fashion model H-1B visa classification with an O-visa classification.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2009-02-09
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law.
action_date: 2009-02-05
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Border, Maritime, and Global Counterterrorism.
action_date: 2009-01-07
text: Referred to House Oversight and Government Reform
action_date: 2009-01-07
text: Referred to House Homeland Security
action_date: 2009-01-07
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Homeland Security, and Oversight and Government Reform, 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: 2009-01-07
text: Referred to House Judiciary
action_date: 2009-01-07
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2009-01-07
text: Introduced in House