zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Visa Integrity and Security Act of 2016

This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to require that: (1) visa and admissions petitions and applications filed with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or a consular officer must contain all required signatures; (2) each immigrant visa application must be signed in the presence of a consular officer and verified by oath; (3) supporting documents that contain information in a foreign language may not be accepted without a certified English translation; and (4) any requested additional information must be provided in complete form before a petition or application is approved.

No petition or application may be approved unless a background check is completed to determine whether each petitioner/applicant or beneficiary/derivative is a national security threat or is otherwise ineligible for entry.

A background check shall include a review of social media activity.

No immigrant or nonimmigrant visa may be issued (with specified exceptions) until completion of a security advisory opinion for an alien: (1) who is a national of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, Sudan, Yemen, or any other country that the Department of State determines appropriate; (2) who is a national of a country that the State Department has designated as a country whose nationals should be subject to a security advisory opinion; or (3) for whom the consular officer determines a security advisory opinion is appropriate.

A petition or application for an immigrant visa based upon a biological relationship between the petitioner or applicant and the beneficiary or derivative must include genetic test results confirming such relationship.

DHS shall conduct an in-person interview with a person seeking any INA benefit, except for work authorization.

DHS shall: (1) submit and implement a plan for the use of advanced analytics software to ensure the proactive detection of fraud in immigration benefits applications and petitions and to ensure that any such applicant or petitioner does not pose a national security threat; and (2) complete a benefit fraud assessment for certain visa categories by FY2021.

The State Department may impose visa security surcharges.

The Homeland Security Act of 2002 is amended to require the assignment of DHS personnel to each diplomatic and consular post that issues visas.

INA is amended to require an alien seeking U.S. entry to establish by clear and convincing evidence (currently, to establish to the satisfaction of the consular officer or the Attorney General, respectively) that he or she is eligible to receive the document required for entry or that he or she is is not inadmissible.

Date: 2016-05-12
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Freedom of Religion Act of 2016

This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that an alien may not be denied admission to the United States because of his or her religion or lack of religious beliefs.

Date: 2016-05-12
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Criminal Alien Deportation Enforcement Act of 2016

This bill amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to prohibit financial assistance to a foreign country that refuses or unreasonably delays the acceptance of an alien who: (1) is a citizen, subject, national, or resident of such country; and (2) has received a final order of removal from the United States.

A country shall be deemed to have refused or unreasonably delayed acceptance of an alien if it does not accept such alien within 90 days of receiving an authorized repatriation request.

The Department of Homeland Security shall submit a report to Congress every three months that: (1) lists the countries that refuse or unreasonably delay repatriation; and (2) includes the total number of aliens who were refused repatriation, organized by country, detention status, and criminal status.

 A listed country shall be subject to U.S. entry and financial assistance prohibitions unless it issues appropriate travel documents: (1) within 100 days after such report's submission for aliens convicted of a crime committed in the United States, and (2) within 200 days after such report's submission for all other aliens.

A victim (or an immediate family member thereof) of a crime committed by any alien who has been issued a final order of removal shall have standing in federal district court to enforce entry and financial prohibitions.

The Immigration and Nationality Act is amended to: (1) discontinue granting visas to a subject, national, or resident of a listed country unless the country has issued the appropriate travel documents pursuant to this bill; and (2) grant standing to enforce such provision in federal district court to a victim (or an immediate family member thereof) of a crime committed by any alien who has been issued a final order of removal.

Date: 2016-05-13
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: International affairs
Strong Visa Integrity Secures America Act

This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Department of State to assign, in a risk-based manner, State Department employees to at least 50 visa-issuing diplomatic and consular posts based upon the following criteria:

 the number of nationals of a country in which such posts are located who were identified in U.S. terrorist databases, such a country's counterterrorism cooperation with the United States, the adequacy of border and immigration control of such country, terrorist organization activity in such country, and the number of negative security advisory opinions regarding nationals of such country. Such employees shall, in addition to other duties, screen admissions applications against federal criminal, national security, and terrorism databases.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall:

 establish within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement a visa security advisory opinion unit to respond to State Department requests for visa security reviews; and provide, in a risk-based manner, for remote pre-adjudicated visa security assistance at at least 50 posts that are not assigned such employees. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shall, within one year after enactment of this bill:

 screen electronic passports at U.S. entry airports by reading each passport's embedded chip, and utilize facial recognition or other biometric technology to screen travelers at such airports. Electronic passport screening shall apply to U.S. citizens, nationals of a visa waiver program country, and nationals of any other foreign country that issues electronic passports.

Facial recognition or other biometric technology screening shall apply to nationals of a visa waiver program country.

The CBP shall, in a risk-based manner, continuously screen individuals issued any visa and individuals who are visa waiver program nationals against criminal, national security, and terrorism databases.

The annual visa overstay report is revised.

DHS shall: (1) ensure that certain foreign student information is available at each U.S. port of entry to CBP officers who conduct primary inspections of aliens seeking U.S. admission; (2) review the social media accounts of visa applicants who are citizens of, or who reside in, high-risk countries; and (3) review open source information of visa applicants.

Date: 2016-05-16
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Immigration for a Competitive America Act of 2016

 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to reduce the annual cap for family-sponsored immigrants and increase the annual cap for certain employment-sponsored immigrants.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall establish an employment eligibility verification system (EEVS), patterned after the E-Verify system. (The current paper-based I-9 system is eliminated.)

 An employer shall verify that an individual is not an unauthorized alien by: (1) obtaining the individual's social security account number, and (2) examining an individual's identity and work authorization documents.

 An individual shall attest that he or she is a U.S. citizen or national, a lawful permanent resident, or an alien authorized to work in the United States.

 The bill establishes a phased-in EEVS participation deadline for different categories of employers, including agricultural employers.

 The bill requires reverification of certain workers who have not been verified under E-verify.

 An employer may voluntarily reverify employees.

Employment recruitment and referral are included within the scope of EEVS.

 The bill provides for the establishment of programs to: (1) block the use of misused social security numbers, and (2) suspend or limit the use of social security numbers of victims of identity fraud.

 DHS shall establish: (1) a program under which parents or legal guardians may suspend or limit the use of the social security account number or other identifying information of a minor for the purposes of the employment eligibility verification system, and (2) an Identity Authentication Employment Eligibility Verification pilot program to provide employers with identity authentication and employment verification of enrolled new employees.

 The Internal Revenue Code is amended to: (1) deny an earned income tax credit and a child care credit to an alien receiving work authorization pursuant to a deferred removal action; and (2) require an individual to include his or her social security number on his or her tax return in order to receive a child tax credit.

The Department of State shall suspend all U.S. foreign assistance to Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, except for assistance under the international narcotic control law enforcement program.

 The annual H-2B visa (temporary nonagricultural workers) cap is increased.

 A specified Department of Labor rule regarding temporary employment certification for nonimmigrant seasonal agricultural workers and enforcement of employer contractual obligations applicable to such workers shall cease to have effect and an earlier Labor rule relating to such matters shall resume effect.

No visa may be issued under this bill unless DHS certifies to Congress that the issuance of such visa would not result in a U.S. security threat.

Date: 2016-06-07
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Fourteenth Amendment Protection Act of 2016

This bill prohibits a state or political subdivision, notwithstanding a U.S. citizen's age, the immigration status of the citizen's custodial parent or legal guardian, or such parent's or guardian's ability to present a document establishing his or her lawful permanent resident status, from:

 depriving such citizen or the parent or legal guardian acting on behalf of such citizen of any federal, state, or local benefit to which the citizen is lawfully entitled; prohibiting such citizen, parent, or legal guardian from accessing any legal document to which such citizen is lawfully entitled or eligible to apply for; or taking any action or omitting to take any action that deprives the citizen of any right, privilege, or immunity under the Constitution or laws of the United States.

Date: 2016-06-09
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Foreign ID Review Act of 2016

This bill requires the Department of Justice to review every two years all forms of identification issued to foreign nationals in the United States by the governments of Mexico, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, including consular-issued identification and passports, to determine if such forms of identification are sufficiently secure to verify the bearer's identity for purposes such as opening a financial institution account and obtaining any lawful benefit for the bearer's child.

Date: 2016-06-10
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2016

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: 2016-06-10
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Sarah's Law

This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the detention of an alien: (1) who was not inspected and admitted into the United States, who held a revoked nonimmigrant visa (or other nonimmigrant admission document), or who is deportable for failing to maintain nonimmigrant status; and (2) who has been charged in the United States with a crime that resulted in the death or serious bodily injury of another person.

 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement shall make reasonable efforts to:

 obtain information about the identity of any victims of the crimes for which such alien was charged or convicted; and provide the victim, or a parent, guardian, spouse, or closest living relative of a deceased victim, with information about such alien, including name, date of birth, nationality, immigration status, criminal history, and a description of any related removal efforts.

Date: 2016-07-05
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Sarah's Law

This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the detention of an alien: (1) who was not inspected and admitted into the United States, who held a revoked nonimmigrant visa (or other nonimmigrant admission document), or who is deportable for failing to maintain nonimmigrant status; and (2) who has been charged in the United States with a crime that resulted in the death or serious bodily injury of another person.

 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement shall make reasonable efforts to:

 obtain information about the identity of any victims of the crimes for which such alien was charged or convicted; and provide the victim, or a parent, guardian, spouse, or closest living relative of a deceased victim, with information about such alien, including name, date of birth, nationality, immigration status, criminal history, and a description of any related removal efforts.

Date: 2016-07-06
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act

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

A state or political subdivision that complies with a detainer is deemed to be an agent of the Department of Homeland Security and is authorized to take actions to comply with the detainer.

The bill limits the liability of a state or political subdivision, or an officer or employee of such state or political subdivision, for actions in compliance with the detainer.

Date: 2016-07-07
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
H-1B and L-1 Visa Reform Act of 2016 

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: 2016-07-07
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Veterans Visa and Protection Act of 2016

This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to: (1) establish a program to permit eligible deported noncitizen veterans to enter the United States as, and to permit eligible noncitizen veterans in the United States to adjust their status to that of, a noncitizen lawfully admitted for permanent residence; and (2) cancel the removal of eligible noncitizen veterans and allow them to similarly adjust their status.

An "eligible" veteran is a veteran who: (1) was not ordered removed, or removed, from the United States due to a criminal conviction for a crime of violence or for a crime that endangers U.S. national security for which the noncitizen served at least five years' imprisonment; and (2) is not inadmissible to, or deportable from, the United States due to such a conviction. DHS may waive such eligibility requirements for humanitarian purposes, to assure family unity, due to exceptional service in the U.S. Armed Forces, or if such waiver otherwise is in the public interest.

A noncitizen veteran or service member shall not be removed from the United States unless he or she has a criminal conviction for a crime of violence.

A noncitizen who has obtained the status of a noncitizen lawfully admitted for permanent residence under this bill shall be eligible for naturalization through service in the U.S. Armed Forces, except that: (1) the grounds on which the noncitizen was ordered removed from, or rendered inadmissible to or deportable from, the United States shall be disregarded when determining whether the noncitizen is a person of good moral character; and (2) any period of absence from the United States due to the noncitizen having been removed or being inadmissible shall be disregarded when determining if the noncitizen satisfies any requirement relating to continuous residence or physical presence.

A noncitizen who has obtained the status of a noncitizen lawfully admitted for permanent residence under this bill shall be eligible for all military and veterans benefits for which the individual would have been eligible if he or she had never been been removed from, or voluntarily departed, the United States.

DHS shall: (1) identify cases involving service members and veterans at risk of removal from the United States, and (2) annotate all DHS immigration and naturalization records relating to any noncitizen involved and afford an opportunity to track the outcome.

Date: 2016-07-08
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Military Amnesty Prevention Act

This bill permits the enlistment into the Armed Forces of aliens other than U.S. nationals and permanent resident aliens when such enlistment is vital to the U.S. national interest only if such individuals are in lawful immigration status.

Date: 2016-07-11
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Uniting Families Act of 2016

This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish a non-immigrant W-visa category for an alien who: (1) is 18 or older and is the genetic son or daughter of a U.S. citizen who served in the Armed Forces on active duty abroad, or (2) is the spouse or child of such alien and is accompanying, or following to join, such alien.

A visa shall not be issued until a petition has been filed in the United States by the applicant's citizen parent and approved by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Such petition shall include:

 DNA evidence establishing that the alien is the petitioner's genetic child, a written agreement that the parent will provide financial support until the alien's status is adjusted to lawful permanent resident status, and information establishing that the petitioner is a U.S. citizen who served in the Armed Forces on active duty abroad. The bill provides that: (1) the period of authorized admission for a W-visa alien is five years, which may be extended for one additional two-year period; and (2) the total number of principal W-visa aliens who may be admitted during any fiscal is 5,000.

The bill prescribes the criteria that a W-visa alien must meet in order to adjust to lawful permanent resident status, including an understanding of the English language and U.S. history. (Such language and history requirements for naturalization purposes shall not apply to a person who has satisfied them in adjusting from W-visa status to lawful permanent resident status.)

Date: 2016-07-12
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Amerasian Paternity Recognition Act of 2016 

This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to confer automatic citizenship on aliens residing in the United States in lawful permanent resident status:

 pursuant to an approved classification petition that gives preferential treatment to persons born in Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Kampuchea, or Thailand after 1950 and before October 22, 1982, and fathered by a U.S. citizen; or who were born in Vietnam after January 1, 1962, and before January 1, 1976, and fathered by a U.S. citizen.

Date: 2016-07-13
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Protect and Grow American Jobs Act

This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise the definition of "exempt H-1B nonimmigrant" to eliminate the masters or higher degree requirement and raise the annual salary threshold requirement from $60,000 to $100,000.

(An exempt H-1B nonimmigrant is a nonimmigrant H-1B [specialty occupation] worker meeting certain criteria whom an H-1B dependent employer may hire without having to satisfy certain otherwise applicable H-1B hiring criteria. An H-1B dependent employer is generally one whose H-1B workers comprise 15% or more of the employer's total workforce, with different thresholds applying to smaller employers.)

The bill requires an inflation adjustment to the salary threshold every third fiscal year.

Date: 2016-07-14
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
No Resettlement Without Consent Act

This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that: (1) the Office of Refugee Resettlement shall not place or resettle a refugee within a state without the governor's approval; and (2) notwithstanding such approval, the office shall not place or resettle a refugee in any locality within a state if the locality has in effect a law, or a policy with the effect of law, disapproving of refugee resettlement in that locality.

Date: 2016-07-14
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Resettlement Accountability National Security Prioritization Act of 2016

This bill prohibits the admission of covered aliens into the United States for four years unless Congress passes a joint resolution giving the Department of Homeland Security authority to admit them. No covered alien may be admitted into the United States after such four-year period.

 "Covered alien" means an alien applying for refugee admission to the United States who: (1) is a national of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, or Yemen; or (2) has no nationality and whose last habitual residence was in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, or Yemen.

The Government Accountability Office shall report on: (1) the national security impact of refugee admissions; and (2) specified costs of providing refugees with benefits under Medicare, Medicaid, disability insurance under title II of the Social Security Act, the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP, formerly the food stamp program), and section 8 rental assistance.

Date: 2016-07-14
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Illegal Alien Capture Notification Act

This bill amends the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 to provide that a person or agency shall (currently, may) not prohibit or restrict a federal, state, or local government entity from undertaking any of the following law enforcement activities (current law refers to information activities) regarding an individual's immigration status:

 notifying the federal government regarding the presence of inadmissible and deportable aliens who are encountered by state or local law enforcement personnel, or complying with federal law enforcement information requests. A federal, state, or local government entity or official shall not issue ordinances, administrative actions, general or special orders, or departmental policies that violate federal law or restrict a state or political subdivision from complying with federal law or coordinating with federal law enforcement.

A state or political subdivision that has in effect a statute, policy, or practice that prohibits state or local law enforcement officers from assisting or cooperating with federal immigration law enforcement in the course of carrying out the officers' routine law enforcement duties shall not be eligible to receive: (1) funds for the incarceration of undocumented criminal aliens or for the Cops on the Beat program, or (2) any other law enforcement or Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grant.

States or political subdivisions not in compliance shall: (1) be ineligible to receive such assistance for at least one year, and (2) become eligible for such assistance only after DHS certifies that the jurisdiction is in compliance. Withheld funds shall be reallocated to complying states or political subdivisions.

States and political subdivisions shall provide DHS with identifying information regarding each incarcerated alien who is believed to be inadmissible or deportable.

Nothing in this bill shall require state or local law enforcement officials to: (1) provide DHS with information related to a victim of a crime or witness to a criminal offense, or (2) otherwise report or arrest such a victim or witness.

Date: 2016-07-14
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Refugee Protection Act of 2016

This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate the one-year time limit for filing an asylum claim.

The bill revises the definition of "refugee" and the criteria for granting asylum.

The bill makes certain currently required detention provisions regarding arriving aliens who request asylum discretionary.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall: (1) establish a secure alternatives to detention program, and (2) establish specified conditions of detention.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom may conduct a study to determine whether certain immigration officers are properly handling asylum and removal/detention authority.

The bill: (1) authorizes waiver of the continuous one-year presence requirement for permanent resident status adjustment for a qualifying refugee/asylee who worked for the U.S. government overseas; (2) exempts aliens under the age of 18 from certain restrictions on applying for asylum; and (3) sets forth protections for minors, refugees, aliens interdicted at sea, and stateless persons.

The President is authorized to designate refugee groups.

The bill authorizes refugee applicants to simultaneously pursue other forms of admission.

The spouse or child of a refugee or asylee may bring his or her accompanying or following child into the United States as a refugee or asylee.

If the President does not issue a refugee allocation determination before the beginning of a fiscal year, the number of refugees that may be admitted in each quarter shall be 25% of the number of refugees admissible during the previous fiscal year.

The bill amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006, with respect to naturalization of an Afghan or Iraqi translator who is a lawful permanent resident, to count a period of absence from the United States working as a translator for the United States or a U.S. contractor in Afghanistan or Iraq towards the accumulation of the required physical presence in the United States.

The bill revises: (1) the definition of "terrorist activity" for purposes of alien inadmissibility, including for aliens who were under 18 years of age when they committed certain actions under duress; and (2) the refugee grant and contract assistance allocation formula.

The Government Accountability Office shall conduct a study of the Office of Refugee Resettlement's domestic refugee resettlement programs.

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 is amended to extend the eligibility for supplemental security income assistance to certain aliens (including asylees and refugees) and trafficking victims.

 DHS shall grant employment authorization to qualifying T visa aliens (victims of trafficking in persons) and U visa aliens (children who have been granted special immigrant status as victims of criminal activity).

The number of U visas is increased.

Date: 2016-07-14
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Empowering Local Law Enforcement Act

This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to enter into a written agreement with a state or a subdivision thereof pursuant to which a state or local officer or employee may carry out immigration-related investigations, apprehensions, or detentions of aliens in the United States at state or local expense. (Under current law, such agreements are discretionary and carried out by the Department of Justice.)

The bill prohibits a state or local agreement request from being denied, or an agreement from being terminated, without a compelling reason.

DHS shall ensure that information is provided to the National Criminal Information Center (NCIC) and the Law Enforcement Support Center (LESC) regarding the identity of any individual: with an active order of removal; who has been removed from the United States based upon engaging in terrorism or espionage, attempting to unlawfully enter the United States, being convicted of participation in a criminal street gang, being convicted of a felony other than a state or local offense for which an essential element was the alien's immigration status, or being convicted of an aggravated felony; and for whom a detainer was issued within the previous year but who was not taken into federal custody. If a state of local law enforcement official apprehends an individual for a crime and the officer has reason to believe that the individual is an alien, the officer may: (1) verify, using the information provided to the NCIC and the LESC, whether the individual is an individual described in this bill; (2) if so, issue a federal detainer; and (3) transport the individual for transfer to federal custody. DHS shall prioritize such an individual for removal.

Date: 2016-07-14
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Unaccompanied Alien Children Placement Transparency Act of 2016

This bill amends the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to require the Department of Health and Human Services or the Department of Homeland Security to provide the following information to the governor and each appropriate agency of a state within 60 days after the custodial placement in such state of an unaccompanied alien child who is in federal custody by reason of the child's immigration status:

 the child's medical records if the child will be attending state public schools, the custodian's address and immigration status, any federal public benefit that the child will receive, and any federal public benefit that the custodian will receive as a result of such custody.

Date: 2016-07-14
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Mobile Medical Immigrant Health Improvement Act of 2016

This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to permit the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide support to partnerships between hospitals and other local health care facilities to improve access to mobile medical health care services for individuals present in the United States who are not citizens or nationals. (Mobile medical health care services are provided in a moveable vehicle or a non-permanent clinic.) In providing such support, HHS must give priority to areas with a high ratio of such individuals to citizens and nationals.

Date: 2016-09-09
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Health
Remedies for Refusal of Repatriation Act

This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish procedures for determining whether a foreign government systematically and unreasonably refuses or delays the repatriation of its nationals who: (1) have been ordered deported by the United States; and (2) have been convicted of a felony or a crime of violence or are a threat to national security or public safety.

Upon determining that a country does refuse or delay repatriation of its citizens, DHS shall notify the Department of State and the two departments shall meet with the country's representatives and notify them that the United States may deny visas to their nationals.

If the country continues to refuse or delay the repatriation of its nationals, the State Department shall discontinue the issuance of visas, unless DHS determines that such discontinuance is not in U.S. interests.

DHS and the State Department shall list such countries on their websites.

Date: 2016-09-09
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize a specified amount of appropriations for FY2017 and each subsequent fiscal year for refugee resettlement activities.

Date: 2016-09-15
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Immigrant Veterans Eligibility Tracking System (I-VETS) Act

 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to:

 identify aliens, when they apply for an immigration benefit or are placed in an immigration enforcement proceeding, who are serving, or have served, as a member of a regular or reserve component of the Armed Forces on active duty or as a member of a reserve component in an active status; and annotate all DHS immigration and naturalization records relating to an identified alien to reflect such identification and afford an opportunity to track the outcomes for such aliens.

Date: 2016-09-21
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Healthcare Opportunities for Patriots in Exile (HOPE) Act

This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize the Department of Homeland Security to parole into the United States an alien veteran who: (1) is seeking temporary admission to receive health care from the Department of Veterans Affairs, and (2) resides permanently abroad after having been removed or voluntarily departed from the United States.

Such parole shall not be available for an alien who is inadmissible due to a criminal conviction for: (1) a crime of violence for which the alien has served at least five years in prison, or (2) a crime that endangers U.S. national security for which the alien has served at least five years in prison.

Date: 2016-09-21
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Naturalization at Training Sites Act of 2016 or the NATS Act

This bill directs the Department of Defense, and the Department of Homeland Security with respect to the Coast Guard, to establish a naturalization office with trained personnel at each initial military training site of the Armed Forces.

The military department concerned shall: (1) identify members of the Armed Forces who are not U.S. citizens and inform them of the availability of naturalization services at such offices; and (2) pending establishment of a naturalization office at all initial military training sites, assign new non-citizen members of the Armed Forces to an initial military training site that has such an office.

Date: 2016-09-21
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Immigration Courts Bail Reform Act

This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate the minimum bond amount needed to release a detained alien.

An immigration judge may review an initial custody determination for an adult alien, subject to specified rules, which include the following:

 the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall, within 72 hours, file the notice to appear or charging document with the appropriate immigration court and serve such notice on the detained alien; except for criminals or suspected terrorists, DHS may continue to detain an alien only if no conditions will reasonably assure the alien's appearance and the safety of any other person and the community; the Department of Justice shall ensure that an alien has the opportunity to promptly appear before an immigration judge for a custody redetermination hearing; except for criminals or suspected terrorists, an immigration judge shall review the custody determination de novo and may continue to detain the alien only if DHS demonstrates that no conditions will reasonably assure the alien's appearance and the community's safety; DHS and an immigration judge shall order an alien's release on personal recognizance or upon an unsecured appearance bond unless such release will not reasonably assure the alien's appearance or the community's safety; if DHS or an immigration judge determines that such release will not reasonably assure the alien's appearance or such safety, DHS or the immigration judge shall order the alien's release under the least restrictive conditions that will assure the alien's appearance and the community's safety; DHS or an immigration judge shall consider the alien's financial ability in determining whether to impose a bond as a condition of release; and DHS or an immigration judge may not impose a financial condition that results in an alien's detention.

Date: 2016-09-21
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Allow State Sovereignty Upon Refugee Entry (ASSURE) Act

This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to set forth requirements for programs for domestic resettlement of, and assistance to, refugees.

Before initial placement or resettlement of a refugee in a state, and before any assistance under such Act is provided to a refugee in a state, the Office of Refugee Resettlement must submit to the state legislature, and the state must enact, a plan covering that refugee, which includes:

 the costs to the state for housing, providing benefits to, and education of, the refugee; vaccination and health records, and the criminal history, of the refugee; any ties to a terrorist organization; whether the refugee is affiliated with groups listed as unindicted co-conspirators in the case of United States of America v. Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development; records of the refugee found in the Department of State's Consular Lookout and Support System; and records from the refugee interview conducted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. If such plan is signed into law, the state may enter contracts to carry out programs for domestic resettlement of, and assistance to, covered refugees. The state shall be reimbursed by the federal government for expenses incurred.

The Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) shall ensure that every Identity History Summary provided by the FBI includes: (1) the subject's immigration or citizenship status, and (2) any violation of federal immigration laws that has been adjudicated regarding the subject.

Date: 2016-09-21
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to make an alien, other than a lawful permanent resident, who is identified in the terrorist screening database inadmissible or deportable on terrorist grounds.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), with the unanimous concurrence of the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Director of National Intelligence, and the Department of State, may grant an individual a national security waiver to enter the United States temporarily as a nonimmigrant.

An identified alien shall be ineligible for asylum, withholding or cancellation of removal, voluntary departure, adjustment of status, or acquisition of legal permanent residency through the registry provisions.

DHS shall revise specified regulations implementing the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Forms of Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment to: (1) exclude identified aliens from the protection of such regulations, and (2) make such aliens ineligible for withholding or deferral of removal under INA.

The bill provides that, with respect to an alien who has not been granted a waiver under this bill and who either is not lawfully admitted for permanent residence or has been granted conditional resident status: (1) DHS shall determine inadmissibility or deportability and issue an order of removal for an identified alien; and (2) in the case of an alien not issued an order of removal, DHS may determine inadmissibility or deportability and issue an order of removal based upon terrorist activity. Such expedited proceedings shall include specified protections for the alien in removal.

Date: 2016-09-27
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
This bill prohibits any alien from being naturalized until U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement completes the digitization of all remaining paper-based fingerprint records for inclusion in the Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

DHS shall, upon completion of such digitization and prior to naturalizing an alien who has a application pending on the date of enactment of this bill, review the alien's eligibility for naturalization using the updated IDENT.

The Immigration and Nationality Act is amended to require a DHS officer or employee who has good cause to believe that a naturalized citizen has illegally or by misrepresentation procured such status to refer such case to the Department of Justice for denaturalization proceedings.

Date: 2016-09-28
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Ending Sanctuary Cities Act of 2016

This bill provides that a state or local government is an ineligible jurisdiction if it: (1) restricts any government entity or official from sending to or receiving from the Immigration and Naturalization Service information regarding an individual's citizenship or immigration status, (2) otherwise restricts compliance with a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) detainer, or (3) has any law or policy in effect that violates the immigration laws.

DHS shall annually determine whether each state or local government is an ineligible jurisdiction that may not receive any federal financial assistance for the fiscal year following any fiscal year in which DHS makes such determination.

A state or local government, and any law enforcement officer of such jurisdiction, acting in compliance with a DHS detainer shall be considered to be acting under color of federal authority for purposes of determining liability and immunity from suit in any federal or state civil action brought by an alien.

The Fair Labor Standards Act is amended to make it unlawful for a state or local government to discharge or discriminate against one of its law enforcement officers because such officer has taken any action to comply with a DHS detainer.

Date: 2016-09-28
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Canadian Snowbird Visa Act

 This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize the Department of Homeland Security to admit into the United States as a nonimmigrant visitor for a period not to exceed 240 days during any single 365-day period a Canadian citizen who: (1) is at least 50 years old, (2) maintains a Canadian residence and owns a U.S. residence or has rented a U.S. accommodation for the duration of such stay, (3) is not inadmissible or deportable, (4) will not engage in employment or labor for hire in the United States, and (5) will not seek any form of assistance or benefit under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996.

 The spouse of such person may be admitted under the same terms except that he or she is not required to separately satisfy the residence/housing requirements.

The bill grants a person so admitted nonresident alien tax status.

Date: 2016-09-28
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Mark Takai Filipino Veterans Family Unification Act

 This bill 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: 2016-11-14
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Immigration
Promise of Citizenship Act of 2016 

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a refundable tax credit for up to $500 of the costs associated with naturalization as a U.S. citizen. Naturalization costs include naturalization application costs, English as a Second Language and other course costs, and legal services. The credit applies to costs paid or incurred by the taxpayer during the year or the three preceding years with respect to the taxpayer, the taxpayer's spouse, or any dependent of the taxpayer if the taxpayer, spouse, or dependent is naturalized as a U.S. citizen during the year.

Date: 2016-11-16
Topic: Immigration (Immigration)
Subject: Taxation