[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5564 Introduced in House (IH)]
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117th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5564
To designate Cameroon under section 244 of the Immigration and
Nationality Act to permit nationals of Cameroon to be eligible for
temporary protected status under such section, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 12, 2021
Ms. Lofgren (for herself, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mrs. Beatty, Mr.
Nadler, Ms. Bass, Mr. Meeks, Ms. Norton, Mr. McGovern, Ms. Tlaib, Mr.
Kind, Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, Ms. Bush, Mr. Pocan, Ms. Lee of California,
Mr. Ruppersberger, Mr. Brown, Mr. Raskin, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Trone, Mrs.
Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, and Mr. Evans) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in
addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a period to be
subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration
of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee
concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To designate Cameroon under section 244 of the Immigration and
Nationality Act to permit nationals of Cameroon to be eligible for
temporary protected status under such section, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Cameroon TPS Act of 2021''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Cameroon is in the midst of four ongoing armed
conflicts generally characterized by state-sponsored violence,
nonstate transnational terrorism, and widespread human rights
violations, making safe return to Cameroon impossible.
(2) Since late 2016, the conflict between the government
and armed separatists has displaced over 700,000 people in the
Anglophone regions of Cameroon and resulted in thousands of
civilian casualties.
(3) This conflict has also exacerbated longstanding
tensions between farmers and nomadic herders over natural
resources, resulting in violence and increased civilian
casualties in the Northwest region of Cameroon.
(4) Cameroon's presidential election in 2018 and local
elections in 2020 exacerbated long-simmering political and
ethnic tensions, and each resulted in uprisings and violence.
(5) In the Far North region, Boko Haram and the Islamic
State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) continue to terrorize
communities, including by using kidnapping and child soldiers
in suicide bombings of schools, mosques, and refugee camps.
(6) The civil war in the Central African Republic has also
spilled over to Cameroon, with cross-border militias initiating
conflicts in the East region.
(7) These conflicts have led to critical shortages of
essentials such as water, food, housing, and health care,
leaving an estimated 4.4 million people in need of urgent
humanitarian assistance and roughly 1 million people displaced
internally.
(8) In 2020, the Department of State reported that
Cameroonian authorities used these conflicts as a pretext to
engage in extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions,
torture, and targeted violence against marginalized
populations.
(9) Cameroonian authorities have also targeted Cameroonians
who have fled to the United States. Prior to scheduled removal
flights leaving the United States, government-led protests in
front of the United States Embassy in Yaounde called on the
United States Government to either criminally charge or deport
asylum seekers who they alleged were backers of Anglophone
separatists.
(10) The United States nevertheless deported a significant
number of Cameroonians, reportedly under duress, to face
politically motivated detention and torture at the hands of
their government.
(11) Reports also indicate that upon arrival, Cameroonian
authorities confiscated identity documents and monitored
activities of all deported individuals. Family members of such
individuals report that their loved ones are unaccounted for
and fear that they may have been redetained by security forces.
(12) Cameroonians in the United States cannot return safely
to Cameroon without risking detention, torture, or
displacement. After years of uncertainty, these individuals
deserve stability and temporary relief in the United States.
SEC. 3. DESIGNATION FOR PURPOSES OF GRANTING TEMPORARY PROTECTED
STATUS.
(a) Designation.--
(1) In general.--For purposes of section 244 of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a), Cameroon
shall be treated as if it had been designated under subsection
(b)(1)(A) of that section, subject to the provisions of this
section.
(2) Period of designation.--The initial period of the
designation referred to in paragraph (1) shall be for the 18-
month period beginning on the date of the enactment of this
Act.
(b) Aliens Eligible.--As a result of the designation made under
subsection (a), an alien who is a national of Cameroon is deemed to
satisfy the requirements under paragraph (1) of section 244(c) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a(c)), subject to
paragraph (3) of such section, if the alien--
(1) has been continuously physically present in the United
States since the date of the enactment of this Act;
(2) is admissible as an immigrant, except as otherwise
provided in paragraph (2)(A) of such section, and is not
ineligible for temporary protected status under paragraph
(2)(B) of such section; and
(3) registers for temporary protected status in a manner
established by the Secretary of Homeland Security.
(c) Consent To Travel Abroad.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary of Homeland Security shall
give prior consent to travel abroad, in accordance with section
244(f)(3) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1254a(f)(3)), to an alien who is granted temporary protected
status pursuant to the designation made under subsection (a) if
the alien establishes to the satisfaction of the Secretary of
Homeland Security that emergency and extenuating circumstances
beyond the control of the alien require the alien to depart for
a brief, temporary trip abroad.
(2) Treatment upon return.--An alien returning to the
United States in accordance with an authorization described in
paragraph (1) shall be treated as any other returning alien
provided temporary protected status under section 244 of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a).
SEC. 4. DETERMINATION OF BUDGETARY EFFECTS.
The budgetary effects of this Act, for the purpose of complying
with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010, shall be determined by
reference to the latest statement titled ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO
Legislation'' for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional
Record by the Chairman of the House Budget Committee, provided that
such statement has been submitted prior to the vote on passage.
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