Asylum Accountability Act This bill permanently bars a non-U.S. national (alien under federal law) from receiving certain immigration-related relief if that individual is ordered removed from the United States after failing to appear at a removal proceeding, unless that failure to appear is due to exceptional circumstances. (Currently, this bar from relief is for 10 years.) Under this bill, such an individual shall be permanently barred from receiving discretionary relief under specified immigration provisions, such as (1) cancellation of removal and adjustment to lawful permanent resident status, (2) being allowed to voluntarily depart from the United States, or (3) being allowed to change from one nonimmigrant classification to another.
To establish a system to track, record, and report all instances in which a United States citizen or individual lawfully admitted for permanent resident was, for the purpose of immigration enforcement, detained or removed by the Department of Homeland Security, and for other purposes.
Ending Catch and Release Act of 2023 This bill changes the treatment of certain non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law) without lawful immigration status, including by prohibiting the release of asylum seekers into the United States while their cases are pending. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may not (with some exceptions) release an individual who is not clearly entitled to admission into the United States while the individual's case is pending, even if the individual is an asylum seeker. DHS may instead detain the individual or return the individual to a neighboring country in certain situations. The bill also expands expedited removal from the United States (i.e., removal without further hearing or review) to include individuals present in the United States without being admitted, with certain exceptions. Under current law, individuals are subject to expedited removal if they lack proper documentation or obtained an immigration benefit through fraud; such individuals are still subject to expedited removal under the bill. The bill also modifies the standard for establishing a credible fear of persecution to avoid expedited removal. Generally, an asylum seeker may avoid expedited removal if an asylum officer finds such a credible fear. Under this bill, an officer may find credible fear if it is more likely than not the individual can establish their eligibility for asylum, whereas under current law, the officer may find credible fear if there is a significant possibility that the individual can establish their eligibility.
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to prohibit persons who are not citizens, nationals, or lawful permanent residents of the United States from voting in elections.
Expedited Removal Codification Act of 2023 This bill provides statutory authority for a July 23, 2019, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) notice that expanded the classes of non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law) who are subject to expedited removal (i.e., removal without further hearing or review). DHS published another notice on March 21, 2022, rescinding the July 2019 notice. Thus, this bill in effect restores the expanded version of expedited removal under the July 2019 notice. The July 2019 notice expanded expedited removal to cover certain inadmissible non-U.S. nationals who were apprehended in any part of the United States and who have been in the United States for less than two years. By contrast, with the March 2022 rescission, expedited removal is generally limited to certain inadmissible non-U.S. nationals apprehended near or at a border.
An Act Permitting Individuals Who Are Lawfully Admitted For Permanent Residence, As Defined In 8 Usc 1101, To Request That They Not Be Summoned For Juror Service.
Break the Chain Act This bill makes various changes related to family-sponsored immigration, such as narrowing the definition of what constitutes an immediate relative and lowering the annual numerical cap on certain classes of family-sponsored visas. A non-U.S. national (alien under federal law) who is a parent of a U.S. citizen shall not qualify for a visa for immediate relatives, which is not subject to any direct numerical limits. Currently, the spouses, unmarried children under 21, and parents of citizens are considered immediate relatives. The bill also reduces the baseline annual cap for family-sponsored visas from 480,000 to 87,934, and revises the methods for calculating the cap. Currently, the 480,000 cap may be adjusted depending on various factors but shall not be less than 226,000. A spouse or child of a sponsoring lawful permanent resident (also known as a green card holder) shall be subject to the family-sponsored visa cap. The bill revises the rules for determining whether a non-U.S. national is a child for the purposes of family-sponsored immigration, and establishes that an individual who is married or turns 25 years old prior to a visa becoming available for issuance shall not qualify as a child. The bill creates a nonimmigrant classification for non-U.S. national parents of adult U.S. citizens, which authorizes such parents for admission into the United States for an initial five-year period. Such parents shall not be authorized for employment or to receive any public benefits.
Grant's Law This bill requires the Department of Justice to detain any alien found to be unlawfully present in the United States and arrested for various crimes that would render the alien deportable or inadmissible. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may release the alien to an appropriate authority for proceedings related to the arrest, but DHS must resume custody for any period that the alien is not in such authority's custody. If the alien is not convicted of crimes for which the alien was arrested, DHS must continue to detain the alien until removal proceedings are completed. DHS must complete such removal proceedings within 90 days.
This bill waives certain requirements for U.S. nationals applying for citizenship. Currently, individuals born in an outlying possession (i.e., American Samoa or Swains Island) are U.S. nationals but do not automatically acquire citizenship through birth in an outlying possession. Under this bill, a U.S. national who otherwise qualifies may become a citizen upon establishing residence and physical presence in a U.S. outlying possession. Currently, U.S. nationals must become a resident of a state to qualify for naturalization. The bill also waives certain naturalization requirements, including those related to English language proficiency and participation in a public ceremony, for individuals who have continuously resided in an outlying possession or state from birth to the approval of a naturalization application. Furthermore, upon meeting other requirements, this bill allows a child born abroad of a U.S. citizen parent to acquire citizenship by establishing presence and residency in an outlying possession, where currently such a child must be lawfully present in the United States to acquire citizenship through this method.
This bill grants exclusive jurisdiction to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia over (1) cases arising under immigration laws, or (2) claims by foreign nationals challenging an order of removal or another action authorized under the Immigration and Nationality Act.