Vulnerable Immigrant Voice Act

Bill: 114-hr-1700
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Jeffries, Hakeem S. [D-NY-8]
Introduced: 2015-03-26
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Child safety and welfare

Disability and paralysis

Immigration status and procedures

Lawyers and legal services

Legal fees and court costs

Refugees, asylum, displaced persons
Latest action: action_date: 2015-04-29
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.

Summaries:
action_date: 2015-03-26
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><strong>Vulnerable Immigrant Voice Act </strong></p> <p>Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require that counsel at the government's expense in a removal or related appeal proceeding shall be provided only for an alien who is: (1) an unaccompanied child, or (2) unable to represent himself or herself due to a serious mental disability.</p>

tv_txt: I 114th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1700 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 26, 2015 Mr. Jeffries (for himself, Ms. Bass , Mr. Deutch , Ms. Chu of California , Ms. Lee , Mr. Serrano , Ms. Norton , and Mr. McGovern ) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To amend section 292 of the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the Attorney General to appoint counsel for unaccompanied alien children and aliens with serious mental disabilities, and for other purposes.

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Vulnerable Immigrant Voice Act . 2. Appointment of counsel in certain cases (a) Appointment of counsel for unaccompanied alien children and aliens with a serious mental disability Section 292 of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1362 ) is amended— (1) by inserting (a) before In any ; (2) by striking (at no expense to the Government) ; (3) by striking he shall and inserting the person shall ; and (4) by adding at the end the following: (b) Except as provided in subsection (c), the Government is not required to provide counsel to aliens under subsection (a). (c) Notwithstanding subsection (b), the Attorney General shall appoint counsel, at the expense of the Government if necessary (to the extent provided in appropriations Acts), to represent an alien in a removal proceeding who— (1) has been determined by the Secretary to be an unaccompanied alien child (as defined in section 462 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 ( 6 U.S.C. 279(g) )); or (2) is unable to represent himself or herself due to a serious mental disability that would be included in section 3(1) of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ( 42 U.S.C. 12102(1) ). . (b) Funding There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out the amendments made by this section.