WISE Act of 2023

Bill: 118-hr-5145
Sponsor: Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7]
Introduced: 2023-08-04 in the House
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Border security and unlawful immigration
Cemeteries and funerals
Child safety and welfare
Congressional oversight
Crime victims
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Department of Homeland Security
Detention of persons
Disability and paralysis
Disability assistance
Disaster relief and insurance
Domestic violence and child abuse
Education of the disadvantaged
Educational facilities and institutions
Elementary and secondary education
Evidence and witnesses
Family relationships
Food assistance and relief
Foreign labor
Government buildings, facilities, and property
Health care coverage and access
Health facilities and institutions
Homelessness and emergency shelter
Immigrant health and welfare
Immigration status and procedures
Law enforcement administration and funding
Law enforcement officers
Lawyers and legal services
Low- and moderate-income housing
Marriage and family status
Medicaid
Medicare
Poverty and welfare assistance
Protest and dissent
Refugees, asylum, displaced persons
Religion
Social security and elderly assistance
U.S. territories and protectorates

Summary:
action_date: 2023-08-04
text: 

Working for Immigrant Safety and Empowerment Act of 2023 or the WISE Act of 2023

This bill expands eligibility for U nonimmigrant visas (victims of criminal activity) and addresses related issues.

Generally, U visas are for victims of specified crimes (e.g., rape, trafficking, or domestic violence) who assist with the investigation or prosecution of the crime. The bill adds hate crimes, child abuse, and elder abuse as crimes that may qualify a victim for a U visa. 

Furthermore, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must provide work authorization to U visa applicants, whereas currently DHS may grant work authorization but is not required to do so.

The bill also eliminates the annual numerical cap on U visas. 

The bill establishes a rebuttable presumption that certain individuals, including U visa applicants and T visa (victims of human trafficking) applicants, shall not be detained while the application is pending. 

Additionally, the bill provides immigration-related protections, such as by extending the admission period and providing work authorization, to the spouse or child of a nonimmigrant visa holder who subjected that spouse or child to battery or extreme cruelty.

Further, the bill prohibits, with some exceptions for exigent circumstances, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or U.S. Customs and Border Protection from conducting immigration enforcement actions within 1,000 feet of a school, health care facility, place of worship, or other location specified in the bill.
 

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2024-12-17
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Social Security.
action_date: 2023-09-21
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture, and Horticulture.
action_date: 2023-08-11
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2023-08-04
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Agriculture, Education and the Workforce, Energy and Commerce, and Financial Services, 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: 2023-08-04
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Agriculture, Education and the Workforce, Energy and Commerce, and Financial Services, 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: 2023-08-04
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Agriculture, Education and the Workforce, Energy and Commerce, and Financial Services, 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: 2023-08-04
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Agriculture, Education and the Workforce, Energy and Commerce, and Financial Services, 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: 2023-08-04
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Agriculture, Education and the Workforce, Energy and Commerce, and Financial Services, 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: 2023-08-04
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, Agriculture, Education and the Workforce, Energy and Commerce, and Financial Services, 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: 2023-08-04
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2023-08-04
text: Introduced in House