zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
TPS Reform Act of 2016

This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise the criteria for designation of a foreign state as eligible to have its citizens be given temporary protected status (TPS) in the United States.

Such revisions include the following: (1) such a foreign state shall be designated by an Act of Congress rather than by the Department of Justice; (2) such Act must find that an environmental disaster in such a foreign state is immediately life-threatening; (3) such Act may provide for early termination of a foreign state's designation; (4) such Act shall include an estimate of the number of a foreign state's nationals who are TPS eligible, their U.S. immigration status, and a time period for the effectiveness of the designation of not more than 18 months; and (5) an alien lacking lawful immigration status shall be ineligible for TPS.

Date: 2016-11-17
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Federal Immigration Law Compliance Act of 2016 or the FILCA of 2016

This bill prohibits an entity (including a university, a state political subdivision, or other person) that receives federal funds in a fiscal year from receiving additional federal funds in that fiscal year or the succeeding fiscal year if it fails to comply with a lawful request for information or detainment of an alien made by any federal immigration officer or employee. Unobligated federal funds made available to a non-compliant entity are rescinded.

A state or political subdivision that complies with a detainer is deemed to be an agent of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has authority available to DHS to take actions to comply with the detainer, and shall not be liable for such actions.

 DHS may issue a detainer for an alien who is in federal, state, or local custody requesting: (1) all relevant information collected pertaining to such alien and notification of his or her future release, or (2) continued detention until DHS assumes custody.

DHS may request from any entity that receives federal funds other immigration-related information pertaining to an alien that is not otherwise precluded from disclosure.

Date: 2016-12-07
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Ensure Access to DACA Act

This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security to provide an alien who received a grant of deferred action under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and who filed a DACA renewal request within a specified time frame with a short-term, interim grant of deferred action and employment authorization if there is a service disruption that causes a delay in reaching a final decision that lasts for at last one week.

Such interim renewal shall be effective until a final decision is made.

Date: 2016-12-08
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Save the Children Act of 2016

This bill directs the Departments of State, Justice, Homeland Security (DHS), and Health and Human Services to establish the Save the Children program to grant nonimmigrant visas to certain young minor children from Syria between the ages of 3 and 10 to enter and remain in the United States until there is a sustained reduction of civil war violence in Syria and a substantial reduction in the numbers of newly displaced Syria inhabitants.

The bill establishes in the DHS Office of Refugee Resettlement a Coordinator of the Save the Children program.

The program shall terminate six months after the State Department certifies that there is a sustained reduction of civil war violence in Syria and a substantial reduction in the numbers of newly displaced Syria inhabitants.

The program provides for the admission of not more than 5,000 children in the first year and 10,000 children for each of the second and third years.

The bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish a nonimmigrant W-visa for an alien who: (1) is resident in or was born in Syria but is currently a displaced person or refugee living in another country, (2) is between 3 and 10 years old, and (3) has been approved by the State Department to temporarily reside in the United States.

Program aliens may remain in the United States until the State Department certifies that there is a sustained reduction of civil war violence in Syria and a substantial reduction in the numbers of newly displaced Syria inhabitants, with a six-month grace period for reunification efforts.

Date: 2016-12-08
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Safeguarding Sanctuary Cities Act of 2016

This bill prohibits reducing or withholding federal financial assistance that a state or local government would otherwise receive because such state or local government has in place any policy that limits or restricts compliance with a detainer.

A "detainer" is defined as any order or request by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for a state or local official to:

 temporarily hold a person until such person may be taken into federal custody, transport such a person for transfer to federal custody, or notify DHS prior to releasing such person.

Date: 2016-12-08
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 2016 

 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security to adjust to permanent resident status a qualifying Liberian national who: (1) has been continuously present in the United States between January 1, 2013, through the date of status adjustment application; or (2) is the spouse, child, or unmarried son or daughter of such an alien.

 Adjustment applications must be filed not later than one year after the date of enactment of this bill.

Date: 2016-12-20
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Amends the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to declare that any unaccompanied alien child (UAC) who has not been a victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons or does not have a credible fear of persecution on returning to his or her country of nationality (or of last habitual residence) shall be: (1) placed in removal proceedings, (2) eligible for voluntary departure at no cost to the child, and (3) provided with access to counsel. (Currently such expedited removal requirements apply only to unaccompanied children from countries contiguous to the United States.)

Directs the Secretary of State to negotiate repatriation agreements between the United States and countries from which large numbers of UACs are unlawfully entering the United States. (Currently such agreements are to be negotiated between the United States and countries contiguous to the United States.)

Requires that a UAC be placed on a return flight to his or her country of nationality (or of last habitual residence) within 72 hours of screening barring cost, feasibility, and any relevant repatriation agreements.

Provides for expedited removal of a UAC who is a member of, or affiliated with, a criminal street gang.

Requires mandatory Department of Homeland Security (DHS) detention of a UAC apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement until the child: (1) voluntarily departs or is removed from the United States, or (2) is admitted as a refugee or asylee.

Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require an immigration judge to: (1) conduct a proceeding to inspect and determine the status of a UAC who is an applicant for U.S. admission not later than 7 days after the child's screening, and (2) determine within 72 hours of the proceeding's conclusion whether a UAC is admissible (or eligible for relief from removal) or should be removed (unless the alien claims asylum or a substantial fear of persecution).

States that: (1) if a UAC intends to make a claim of asylum or substantial fear of persecution the child shall be referred to an asylum officer who shall determine in an interview whether there is a substantial fear of persecution, and (2) if there is no substantiated fear of persecution the UAC shall be ordered removed without further hearing or review.

Revises the definition of "refugee."

Requires DHS detention of an alien seeking asylum until the alien is removed or granted asylum.

Extends the bar on U.S. reentry to 10 years for previously removed aliens and for certain aliens who were illegally in the United States but voluntarily departed.

Requires the Secretary of DHS to report to Congress annually detailing apprehended illegal aliens, voluntary departures, removals, and grants of refugee or asylee status.

Date: 2015-01-07
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Birthright Citizenship Act of 2015 

 Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to consider a person born in the United States "subject to the jurisdiction" of the United States for citizenship at birth purposes if the person is born in the United States of parents, one of whom is: (1) a U.S. citizen or national, (2) a lawful permanent resident alien whose residence is in the United States, or (3) an alien performing active service in the U.S. Armed Forces.

 States that this Act may not be construed to affect the citizenship or nationality status of any person born before the date of its enactment.

Date: 2015-01-07
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Prohibits the implementation of any program that grants temporary legal status to, or adjusts the status of, any individual who is unlawfully present in the United States until the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) certifies to the President and to Congress that the integrated entry and exit data system (US-VISIT) has been fully implemented at every land, sea, and air port of entry.

Date: 2015-01-07
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Requires the Secretary of Commerce to include in each questionnaire used for conducting the decennial census of population a question to ascertain U.S. citizenship and immigration status.

Date: 2015-01-07
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to prohibit unlawful aliens from being eligible for any postsecondary education benefit unless every citizen and national of this country is eligible to receive that benefit in no less of an amount, duration, or scope. (This replaces a prohibition against a state's offering unlawful aliens postsecondary benefits on the basis of their residence in the state that are more generous than those offered citizens or naturals of this country without regard to their state residence.)

Allows any citizen or national who is enrolled at a postsecondary educational institution that is alleged to have violated that prohibition to bring a civil action against any state official overseeing the institution to obtain appropriate relief, attorneys' fees, and court costs.

Date: 2015-01-07
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Remittance Status Verification Act of 2015

Amends the Electronic Fund Transfer Act to require a remittance transfer provider, before initiating a transfer, to request from the sender of a remittance whose recipient is located in a country other than the United States proof of the sender's status under U.S. immigration laws.

Cites admissible documentation attesting to the sender's status, including a state-issued driver's license or federal passport.

Directs a remittance transfer provider to impose, upon any sender unable to provide such proof of status, a fine equal to 7% of the U.S. dollar amount to be transferred.

Requires submission to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau of all fines imposed and collected by a remittance transfer provider in order to pay the administrative and enforcement costs of implementing this Act.

Requires the Comptroller General to study the effects of the enactment of this Act.

Date: 2015-01-07
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Prohibits the use of community oriented policing services funds in contravention of provisions of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 that restrict a government entity or official from preventing any government entity or official from sending to, or receiving from, the responsible federal immigration agency information regarding an individual's citizenship or immigration status.

Date: 2015-01-07
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Immigration Rule of Law Act of 2015

This bill prohibits the use of any funds made available to the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) or to any other federal official, including deposits into the Immigration Examinations Fee Account, to carry out any of the policy changes set forth in the following memoranda dated either November 20 or November 21, 2014 (or any substantially similar policy changes issued or taken on or after January 9, 2015):

 Southern Border and Approaches Campaign; Policies for the Apprehension, Detention and Removal of Undocumented Immigrants; Secure Communities; Exercising Prosecutorial Discretion with Respect to Individuals Who Came to the United States as Children and with Respect to Certain Individuals Who Are the Parents of U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents; Expansion of the Provisional Waiver Program; Policies Supporting U.S. High-Skilled Businesses and Workers; Families of U.S. Armed Forces Members and Enlistees; Directive to Provide Consistency Regarding Advance Parole; Policies to Promote and Increase Access to U.S. Citizenship; Modernizing and Streamlining the U.S. Immigrant Visa System for the 21st Century; and Creating Welcoming Communities and Fully Integrating Immigrants and Refugees. Such memoranda or substantially similar policy changes are declared to have no statutory or constitutional basis and therefore no legal effect.

No funds or fees made available to the Secretary or to any federal official may be used to grant any federal benefit to any alien pursuant to any of such policy changes.

No funds or fees made available to the Secretary may be used to carry out any policy relating to the apprehension, detention, or removal of aliens that does not treat any alien convicted of any offense involving domestic violence, sexual abuse, child molestation, or child exploitation as within the categories of aliens subject to the highest DHS civil immigration enforcement priorities.

It is the sense of Congress that:

 disparate employer/employee health insurance requirements discourage the hiring of U.S. citizens and those in lawful immigration status; and the Executive Branch should refrain from pursuing policies such as granting to unlawfully present individuals any deferred action under the deferred action for childhood arrivals program and work authorization. It is the sense of Congress that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service should:

 stop putting the interests of aliens who are unlawfully present in the United States ahead of the interests of aliens who are following proper immigration laws and procedures by taking specified actions, and use the funds available under existing law to improve services and increase the efficiency of the immigration benefits application process for aliens abroad or who are lawfully present in the United States.

Date: 2015-02-23
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny the earned income tax credit to an alien who has been granted deferred action from removal in any taxable year in which such alien was not lawfully present in the United States or not authorized to work. The bill requires the Commissioner of Social Security to provide the Internal Revenue Service with information on social security account numbers granted to aliens under the deferred action from removal program.

Date: 2015-03-10
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Taxation
Filipino Veterans Family Reunification Act of 2015

Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to exempt from worldwide or numerical limitations on immigrant visas the sons and daughters of Filipino World War II veterans who were naturalized under the Immigration Act of 1990 or other specified federal law.

Date: 2015-03-12
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Amnesty Bonuses Elimination Act

This bill amends the Social Security Act to prohibit the Social Security Administration from issuing a Social Security account number to any alien granted deferred action pursuant to specified deferred action policies of the Department of Homeland Security.

Date: 2015-03-16
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Social welfare
Transnational Criminal Organization Illicit Spotter Prevention and Elimination Act

Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to make it a crime to: (1) transmit to another person the location, movement, or activities of law enforcement agents while intending to further a federal crime relating to U.S. immigration; and (2) destroy, alter, or damage any physical or electronic device used by the federal government to control the border or any port of entry.

 Subjects a violator to fine, up to 10 years' imprisonment, or both.

Prohibits the carrying or use of a firearm in an alien smuggling crime.

Date: 2015-03-24
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to define "criminal gang."

An alien who is or was a member of a criminal gang, or who participated in gang activity knowing that such participation will promote the gang's illegal activity, shall be inadmissible and deportable.

The Department of Homeland Security may designate a group or association as a criminal gang.

Detention shall be mandatory for anyone found inadmissible or deportable for criminal street gang membership.

Individuals found inadmissible or deportable for criminal gang membership shall be barred from:

 asylum; withholding of removal; temporary protected status; special immigrant juvenile status; deferred action; and parole, unless assisting the United States in a law enforcement matter and required by the government to be present with respect to such assistance. An alien found at a U.S. land border or port of entry who is determined to be inadmissible and a threat to public safety (certain criminals, terrorists, street gang members) shall be subject to expedited removal.

Date: 2015-04-28
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The expanded summary of the Senate reported version is repeated here.)

Adoptive Family Relief Act

(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to declare that if an immigrant visa was issued on or after March 27, 2013, for a child who has been lawfully adopted, or who is coming to the United States to be adopted, by a U.S. citizen, any statutory immigrant visa fees relating to a renewal or replacement of such visa may be waived or refunded if:

 the child was unable to use the original immigrant visa during the period of its validity as a direct result of extraordinary circumstances, including the denial of an exit permit; and such inability was attributable to factors beyond the control of the adopting parent or parents.

Date: 2015-05-12
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to make the special immigrant non-minister religious worker program permanent.

Date: 2015-05-14
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Visa Waiver Program Enhanced Security and Reform Act

Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act regarding the visa waiver program to: (1) authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security to designate any country as a program country; (2) adjust visa refusal rate criteria, including addition of a 3% maximum overstay rate; and (3) revise probationary and termination provisions.

Directs the Secretary to submit to Congress: (1) an evaluation of the security risks of aliens who enter the United States without an approved Electronic System for Travel Authorization verification, and (2) a description of any improvements needed to minimize the number of aliens who enter the United States without such verification.

 Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary, in evaluating visa waiver program countries, should prioritize the reviews of countries in which circumstances indicate that such review is necessary or desirable.

Date: 2015-06-04
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Partner with Korea Act

Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to create an E-4 treaty trader visa category for up to 15,000 nationals of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) each fiscal year who are coming to the United States solely to perform specialty occupation services and with respect to whom the Secretary of Labor has certified to the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State that the intending employer has filed an attestation concerning U.S. worker protections with the Secretary of Labor.

Date: 2015-06-10
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Immigration Slush Fund Elimination Act of 2015 

This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to provide that the following fees shall be miscellaneous receipts to be deposited in the general fund of the Treasury:

 asylum fees, nonimmigrant nurse fees, employer fees, additional employer fees, Department of State and Department of Homeland Security fraud prevention and detection fees, visa waiver program fees, temporary protected status fees, adjustment of status fees, administrative fines and penalties, the genealogy fee, the premium fee for employment-based petitions and applications, biometric entry and data system fees, and nonimmigrant foreign student fees. Authority for the visa waiver program travel promotion fee is extended through September 30, 2015.

 Fee disposition provisions are revised.

Fee revenues in all of the accounts under section 286 of INA, as of the day before enactment of this Act, shall be transferred to the general fund of the Treasury on the effective date provided for by this Act.

All of the accounts authorized under such section (including the Immigration User Fee Account and the Land Border Inspection Account), as of the day before the date of enactment of this Act, shall be terminated on such date.

Date: 2015-06-17
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Domestic Refugee Resettlement Reform and Modernization Act of 2015

 Requires the Government Accountability Office to study the effectiveness of the Office of Refugee Resettlement's domestic refugee resettlement programs.

Requires the Office of Refugee Resettlement to: (1) ensure that refugee assistance is provided to qualifying refugees who are secondary migrants; (2) report to Congress regarding states experiencing departures and arrivals due to secondary migration; and (3) expand the Office's data analysis, collection, and sharing activities to include data on mental and physical medical cases, housing needs, and refugee employment.

Requires the Department of State and the Department of Health and Human Services to provide refugee resettlement guidance to appropriate national, state, and local entities.

Date: 2015-06-18
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Criminal Alien Deportation Act

This bill amends the the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the detention of any alien who is: (1) unlawfully present in the United States; and (2) arrested for specified offenses, conviction of any of which would render the alien inadmissible or deportable.

Release authority is transferred from the Department of Justice (DOJ) to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and amended to provide that DHS:

 may release an alien held pursuant to this Act to the appropriate authority for any proceedings subsequent to the arrest, shall resume custody of such alien during any period pending the final disposition of any such proceedings when the alien is not in the custody of the appropriate authority, and shall continue to detain until removal proceedings are completed any alien not convicted of the offense for which he or she was arrested. DHS shall complete removal proceedings for any such detained alien within 90 days.

It shall be the goal of DOJ, DHS, and the Executive Office for Immigration Review to use funds authorized under this Act to resolve promptly cases pertaining to aliens inadmissible on specified criminal grounds.

In order to help achieve this goal DOJ shall designate up to 100 temporary immigration judges and DHS shall hire 150 new immigration litigation attorneys.

It is the sense of the Senate that:

 gains made in border security and positive trends in recidivism rates are of critical importance to those living and working in the border region and to the nation as a whole; refusing to prosecute first time illegal border crossers under Operation Streamline will jeopardize border security gains; border security steps that have led to improvement on the border, such as Operation Streamline, should be preserved; and appropriate executive branch officials should remove any issued or related prohibition, policy, or direction to cease prosecuting first time illegal border crossers under Operation Streamline.

Date: 2015-07-13
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Establishing Mandatory Minimums for Illegal Reentry Act of 2015 

This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to increase penalties applicable to aliens who unlawfully reenter the United States after being removed.

Date: 2015-07-14
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Protecting American Citizens Together Act or the PACT Act

This bill amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to make a sanctuary city ineligible to receive, for at least one year, any funds pursuant to:

 the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program, the Cops' Program, the Urban Area Security Initiative, the State Homeland Security Grant Program, the Port Security Grant Program, the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program, or any other non-disaster preparedness grant program administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. A sanctuary city shall be eligible to receive such funds after the Attorney General certifies that it is no longer a sanctuary city.

The Attorney General shall prioritize a request from the Secretary of Homeland Security to transfer an alien who is without lawful status in the United States and in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody before a request from a state or state subdivision to transfer the covered alien to its custody.

Date: 2015-07-14
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Improving Cooperation with States and Local Governments and Preventing the Catch and Release of Criminal Aliens Act of 2015

This bill prohibits a jurisdiction from receiving any of the funding specified in this Act if it does not cooperate with federal officials regarding criminal aliens or other aliens deemed to be a removal priority by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including by refusing to: (1) detain or transfer custody of such aliens pursuant to detainers placed upon them; or (2) notify a federal law enforcement agency, upon request, of their release.

Such funding consists of:

 incarceration reimbursement funds under the Immigration and Nationality Act, grant funding under the Second Chance Act of 2007, and any other law enforcement related grants or contracts awarded by DHS or the Department of Justice (DOJ). A jurisdiction shall become eligible to receive such funds, grants, or contracts after DHS certifies that:

 the jurisdiction no longer fails to cooperate with federal officials regarding detentions, transfers, and notifications; and the statute, policy, or practice of that state or local government prohibiting law enforcement officers from assisting or cooperating with federal immigration law enforcement regarding criminal aliens has been repealed, rescinded, or terminated. Withheld funds shall be reallocated equally among:

 states and local governments which cooperate with federal officials regarding detentions, transfers, and notifications, and apply to the appropriate Department for such funds; and any statutorily authorized federal grant program designed to protect victims of violence. DHS and DOJ shall publish jointly on their websites: (1) a list of sanctuary jurisdictions, and (2) a list of jurisdictions that do not grant federal immigration law enforcement officers regular access to jails or detention facilities.

The Immigration and Nationality Act is amended to increase the penalty for reentry by a removed alien.

Nothing in this Act may be construed to: (1) require law enforcement officials of a state or a local government to report or arrest victims or witnesses of a criminal offense, or (2) limit the ability of state and local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration law enforcement with regard to aliens who are not criminal aliens.

Date: 2015-07-21
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Stop Sanctuary Cities Act

This bill makes it unlawful for any state or political subdivision to:

 restrict or prohibit a government entity or official from sending to or receiving from the responsible federal immigration agency information regarding an individual's citizenship or immigration status, or from maintaining or exchanging information about an individual's status; or fail to comply with a immigration-related detainer that has been lawfully issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Any state or subdivision that:

 violates such prohibition shall be ineligible for State Criminal Alien Assistance Program funds; and does not come into compliance with such requirements within 180 days of receiving noncompliance notification from DHS shall be ineligible for assistance under the Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program. Funding may not be withheld until DHS has: (1) notified a state or subdivision of its noncompliance, and (2) determined that voluntary compliance cannot be secured.

No liability shall lie with a state or subdivision that is acting in compliance with a lawfully issued DHS detainer solely because the state or subdivision is holding an alien in compliance with such detainer.

Nothing in this Act may be construed to require law enforcement officials of a state or a subdivision to provide DHS with information related to a victim or a witness to a criminal offense.

Date: 2015-07-21
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Criminal Alien Notification Act

This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish a law enforcement notification system for every state.

"Law enforcement notification system" means a secure information sharing system utilized by federal, state, tribal, and local law enforcement agencies to:

 notify the identification bureaus of the state from which an alien is being released and of the state in which the alien is intending to reside of the anticipated release from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody of an alien who is inadmissible or deportable under specified grounds, and notify DHS of the release from custody of an alien who has been arrested for certain offenses the conviction of any one of which would render the alien inadmissible. DHS shall establish a secure information sharing system that enables state, tribal, and local courts to notify DHS of a protective order issued against an inadmissible or deportable alien who is under DHS supervision.

Date: 2015-07-22
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Act of 2015

This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to direct the Department of Homeland Security to authorize employment for an asylum applicant who is not in detention and whose asylum application has not been determined to be frivolous.

Employment authorization shall be: (1) for a period of one year, and (2) renewable for additional one-year periods for the entire period necessary to adjudicate the applicant's asylum claim.

Date: 2015-07-30
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Invest in Our Communities Act

This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to: (1) exempt spouses and children of EB-5 investor immigrants from worldwide employment-based immigration limits, and (2) revise the fiscal year worldwide level of employment-based immigrant admissions.

EB-5 visas are excluded from per country caps.

EB-5 visas shall be made available to qualified immigrants who participate in a regional center program in the United States designated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for the promotion of economic growth, including: (1) increased exports, (2) improved regional productivity, (3) job creation, and (4) increased domestic capital investment.

A regional center shall: (1) have jurisdiction over a specific geographic area, which shall be consistent with the purpose of concentrating pooled investment in defined economic zones; and (2) certify compliance with U.S. securities laws, and supervise all offers, purchases, and sales of securities made by associated parties to ensure securities compliance.

DHS shall establish a procedure for pre-approval of new commercial enterprises.

Any person subject to the suspension or termination of EB-5 rights made under the discretion of DHS may appeal such decision and be entitled to a hearing before an administrative law judge.

No person may be involved with a regional center as its principal, administrator, owner, officer, board member, manager, executive, general partner, fiduciary, or other similar position of significant authority for the operations or management of the center if he or she: (1) is not a U.S. national or lawful permanent resident; or (2) has been found liable for certain financial or securities crimes, or terrorist, espionage, or human trafficking activities.

The bill sets forth DHS suspension or termination authority for a noncomplying regional center.

The child of an alien investor whose conditional permanent resident status is terminated shall continue to be considered a child for purposes of a subsequent immigrant petition by the alien investor if the child remains unmarried and the subsequent petition is filed within one year after termination of status. An alien shall not be considered a child with respect to more than 1 petition filed after he or she reaches 21 years old.

Date: 2015-10-01
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Stop Sanctuary Policies and Protect Americans Act

This bill prohibits a sanctuary jurisdiction from receiving grants under the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program, the Community Oriented Policing Services Program, and the Community Development Block Grant Program. A sanctuary jurisdiction is a state or political subdivision that has a policy or practice in effect that: (1) prohibits or restricts information sharing about an individual's immigration status, or (2) prohibits compliance with a lawfully issued detainer request or notification of release request.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) must terminate grant funding 30 days after DOJ and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) determine, notify, and publish the states and political subdivisions that are sanctuary jurisdictions.

A state or political subdivision that complies with a detainer is deemed to be an agent of DHS. The bill authorizes such agent to take actions to comply with the detainer. It also limits the liability of such agent if the actions taken complied with the detainer.

The bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to increase from two years to five years the maximum prison term for an alien who reenters after being denied admission, excluded, deported, or removed.

It establishes a 10-year maximum prison term for an alien who reenters after being denied admission, excluded, deported, or removed on 3 or more prior occasions.

It establishes a five-year mandatory minimum prison term for an alien who reenters after being removed following a conviction for an aggravated felony or following two or more prior convictions for illegal reentry. 

Date: 2015-10-06
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 2015 

 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security to adjust to permanent resident status a qualifying Liberian national who: (1) has been continuously present in the United States between January 1, 2013, through the date of status adjustment application; or (2) is the spouse, child, or unmarried son or daughter of such an alien.

 Adjustment applications must be filed not later than one year after the date of enactment of this bill.

Date: 2015-10-07
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Stop Illegal Reentry Act or Kate's Law

This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to increase from two years to five years the maximum prison term for an alien who reenters after being denied admission, excluded, deported, or removed.

It establishes:

 a 10-year maximum prison term for an alien who reenters after being denied admission, excluded, deported, or removed on 3 or more prior occasions; and a 5-year mandatory minimum prison term for an alien who reenters after being removed following a conviction for an aggravated felony or following 2 or more prior convictions for illegal reentry.

Date: 2015-10-21
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Save Our Small and Seasonal Businesses Act of 2015

This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to declare that, effective as if enacted on January 1, 2015, a returning H-2B visa alien (temporary nonagricultural worker) who has already been counted toward the applicable numerical limitation shall:

 not again be counted toward that limitation in the current fiscal year, but shall be considered a returning worker; and shall be counted again toward the limitation if the alien departs the United States for a period longer than one year, or was not counted toward the limitation in any of the three most recent fiscal years. "Other temporary service or labor" for H-2B purposes means that an employer's labor need will last: (1) at most 1 year if peak load or intermittent, unless it is a one-time occurrence not to exceed 3 years; or (2) not to exceed 10 months if the employer's need is seasonal.

 An H-2B employer shall file an employee petition with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which shall have exclusive authority to issue rules and final determinations for the H-2B visa program.

 H-2B employer requirements are set forth regarding: (1) petitions, (2) admissions and maximum stay in status, (3) housing, (4) enforcement, (5) transportation, (6) recruitment, (7) U.S. worker protections, (8) wages, and (9) absconding workers.

 DHS shall consult with the Department of State to develop an electronic notification system to notify the latter within 48 hours after an H-2B petition's final approval.

Date: 2015-10-30
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act of 2015 

This bill amends the the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise employer and government requirements regarding visas for nonimmigrant aliens rated H-1B (specialty occupation) and L-1 (intracompany transfer to the United States from abroad).

H-1B employer application requirements are revised.

 The bill establishes an H-1B visa allocation system, with first priority reserved for aliens who have earned an advanced degree in a field of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) from a U.S. institution of higher education.

The bill requires completion of a U.S. degree (or an equivalent foreign degree) as a qualification for "specialty occupation" eligibility, eliminating experience in a specialty as an equivalent to the completion of such a degree.

 The bill prescribes an H-1B labor condition application fee.

 The Department of Labor may issue subpoenas and seek appropriate injunctive relief and specific performance of contractual obligations to ensure H-1B employer compliance.

The period of authorized admission for an H-1B nonimmigrant is reduced from six to three years, with a three-year extension available for aliens with extraordinary ability or with advanced degrees, or professors.

The bill denies an H-1B visa to any alien normally classifiable as an H-1 nonimmigrant who seeks U.S. admission to provide services in a specialty occupation.

Labor may investigate applications for fraud and conduct H-1B compliance audits.

Labor shall conduct annual audits of companies with more than 100 employees who work in the United States if more than 15% of those employees are H-1B nonimmigrants.

The bill increases certain employer penalties, including the penalty for displacing a U.S. worker.

An employer that violates any H-1B requirement shall be liable to the harmed employee for lost wages and benefits.

 The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services shall give Labor any information in materials submitted by H-1B employers as part of the petition adjudication process that indicates employer noncompliance with H-1B visa program requirements.

Labor may hire 200 additional employees to administer H-1B programs.

The bill prohibits an employer, unless it receives a waiver from Labor, from hiring an L-1 nonimmigrant for more than one year who will: (1) serve in a capacity involving specialized knowledge, and (2) be stationed primarily at the worksite of an employer other than the petitioning employer.

 No employer may replace a U.S. worker with an L-1 worker.

 The bill prescribes L-1 requirements regarding: (1) employer petitions for employment at a new office, (2) wage rates and working conditions, and (3) employer penalties.

 Labor may initiate an L-1 employer investigation.

 Authority to administer L-1 visa blanket petitions is transferred from the Department of Justice to the Department of Homeland Security.

Date: 2015-11-10
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2015

This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to grant automatic citizenship to all qualifying children adopted by a U.S. citizen parent, regardless of the date on which the adoption was finalized.

An individual born outside of the United States who was adopted by a U.S. citizen parent shall automatically become a U.S. citizen when the following conditions have been fulfilled:

 the individual was adopted by a U.S. citizen before the individual reached age 18, the individual was physically present in the United States in the citizen parent's legal custody pursuant to a lawful admission before the individual reached age 18, the individual never acquired U.S. citizenship before the enactment of this Act, and the individual was lawfully residing in the United States on the date of enactment of this Act. An individual who meets such criteria, except for lawfully residing in the United States on the date of enactment of this Act, shall automatically become a U.S. citizen on the date on which the individual is physically present in the United States pursuant to a lawful admission.

 A visa may not be issued to such an individual unless:

 the individual was subjected to a criminal background check; and the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State coordinated with law enforcement agencies to ensure that appropriate action is taken regarding any unresolved criminal activity.

Date: 2015-11-10
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act of 2015 or the American SAFE Act of 2015

This bill requires that, in addition to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) screening, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) shall take all actions necessary to ensure that each covered alien receives a background investigation before U.S. refugee admission.

A "covered alien" is any alien applying for U.S. refugee admission who:

 is a national or resident of Iraq or Syria, has no nationality and whose last habitual residence was in Iraq or Syria, or has been present in Iraq or Syria at any time on or after March 1, 2011. A covered alien:

 may not be admitted as a refugee until the FBI certifies to DHS and the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) that he or she has received a background investigation sufficient to determine whether the alien is a U.S. security threat; and may only be admitted to the United States after DHS, with the unanimous concurrence of the FBI and the DNI, certifies to Congress that he or she is not such a threat. The Inspector General of DHS shall conduct annual risk-based reviews of all certifications.

DHS shall report monthly to Congress on the total number of admission applications for which a certification was made and the number of covered aliens for whom such a certification was not made for the preceding month. The report shall include for each covered alien for whom a certification was not made the concurrence or nonconcurrence of each person whose concurrence was required by the certification.

Date: 2015-11-18
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Terrorist Refugee Infiltration Prevention Act of 2015

This bill prohibits the U.S. refugee admission of an alien who is a national of, has habitually resided in, or is claiming refugee status due to events in any country containing terrorist-controlled territory (Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Yemen and any other Department of State-designated country).

Such an alien may be admitted to the United States as a refugee if the alien:

 satisfies refugee admission requirements; is a member of a group that has been designated by the State Department or by an Act of Congress as a victim of genocide (and such group does not pose a risk to U.S. security); has undergone the highest level of security screening of any category of traveler to the United States, including full multi-modal biometrics; and the State Department, the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) certify that such alien is not a threat to U.S. national security. These requirements shall not apply to the U.S. refugee admission of an alien who: (1) provided substantial assistance to the United States, and (2) would face a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury because of that assistance if not admitted to the United States.

The State Department may designate as a country containing terrorist-controlled territory any country containing territory that is controlled, in substantial part, by a foreign terrorist organization to the exclusion of that country's recognized government.

The State Department shall maintain and continually update a list of: (1) the countries containing terrorist-controlled territory, and (2) groups identified as victims of genocide.

An alien may not be admitted into the United States under this Act solely based on his or her assertions, and DHS shall substantiate any such assertions with the State Department, DOD, the FBI, and the DNI.

Date: 2015-11-18
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Visa Waiver Program Firearms Clarification Act of 2015

The bill amends the federal criminal code to modify the eligibility of certain foreign nationals to purchase and possess firearms in the United States.

Current law prohibits firearm sale or transfer to or possession by a foreign national (i.e., alien) who is: (1) unlawfully present in the United States, or (2) lawfully present under a nonimmigrant visa (e.g., tourist visa). The prohibitions do not apply in certain circumstances. 

This bill expands the prohibition to bar firearm sale or transfer to or possession by a foreign national who was lawfully admitted to the United States without a visa under the Visa Waiver Program. 

The prohibitions do not apply to a foreign national lawfully admitted under the Visa Waiver Program if that foreign national is a government official or law enforcement officer, or possesses a hunting license. Additionally, such foreign national may apply for a Department of Justice waiver to allow firearm possession.

Date: 2015-11-19
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement