[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7173 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7173
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the President
to set a minimum annual goal for the number of refugees to be admitted,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 31, 2024
Ms. Lofgren introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the President
to set a minimum annual goal for the number of refugees to be admitted,
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 ``Guaranteed Refugee Admission Ceiling
Enhancement Act'' or the ``GRACE Act''.
SEC. 2. ADMISSION OF REFUGEES.
Section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157)
is amended--
(1) in subsection (a)--
(A) by striking paragraphs (1) and (2) and
inserting the following:
``(1) In general.--Except as provided in subsection (b),
the number of refugees who may be admitted under this section
in any fiscal year shall be such number as the President
determines is--
``(A) justified by humanitarian concerns or
otherwise in the national interest; and
``(B) not fewer than 125,000.
``(2) Absence of determination.--If the President does not
issue a determination under paragraph (1) before the beginning
of a fiscal year, the number of refugees who may be admitted
under this section shall be 125,000.'';
(B) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and (4) as
paragraphs (4) and (7), respectively;
(C) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
``(3) Numerical goals.--Each officer of the Federal
Government responsible for refugee admissions or refugee
resettlement shall treat as the numerical goals for refugee
admissions under this section for the applicable fiscal year--
``(A)(i) a determination under paragraph (1); or
``(ii) in the absence of a determination under
paragraph (1), the number under paragraph (2); and
``(B) a determination under subsection (b).''; and
(D) by inserting after paragraph (4), as
redesignated, the following:
``(5) Consideration of resettlement needs.--In making a
determination under paragraph (1), the President shall consider
the number of refugees who, during the calendar year beginning
immediately after the beginning of the applicable fiscal year,
are in need of resettlement in a third country, as determined
by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in the
most recently published projected global resettlement needs
report.
``(6) Regional allocations.--The President shall determine
regional allocations for admissions under this subsection,
which shall--
``(A) consider the projected needs identified by
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in
the projected global resettlement needs report for the
calendar year beginning immediately after the beginning
of the applicable fiscal year; and
``(B) include an unallocated reserve that the
Secretary of State, after notifying the Committee on
the Judiciary of the Senate and the Committee on the
Judiciary of the House of Representatives, may use for
1 or more regions in which the need for additional
refugee admissions arises.''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(g) Quarterly Reports on Admissions.--Not later than 15 days
after the last day of each quarter, the President shall submit to the
Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate and the Committee on the
Judiciary of the House of Representatives a report that includes the
following:
``(1) Refugees admitted.--
``(A) The number of refugees admitted to the United
States during the preceding quarter.
``(B) The number of refugees admitted to the United
States during the preceding quarter, expressed as a
percentage of the number of refugees authorized to be
admitted in accordance with the determinations under
subsections (a) and (b) for the applicable fiscal year.
``(C) The cumulative number of refugees admitted to
the United States during the applicable fiscal year, as
of the last day of the preceding quarter.
``(D) The number of refugees to be admitted to the
United States during the remainder of the applicable
fiscal year so as to achieve the numerical goals set
forth in the determinations under subsections (a) and
(b) for such fiscal year.
``(E) The number of refugees from each region
admitted to the United States during the preceding
quarter, expressed as a percentage of the allocation
for each region under subsection (a)(6) for the
applicable fiscal year.
``(2) Aliens with security advisory opinions.--
``(A) The number of aliens, by nationality, for
whom a Security Advisory Opinion has been requested who
were security-cleared during the preceding quarter,
expressed as a percentage of all cases successfully
adjudicated by the Director of the U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services in the applicable fiscal year.
``(B) The number of aliens, by nationality, for
whom a Security Advisory Opinion has been requested who
were admitted to the United States during the preceding
quarter.
``(3) Circuit rides.--
``(A) For the preceding quarter--
``(i) the number of Refugee Corps officers
deployed on circuit rides, expressed as a
percentage of the overall number of Refugee
Corps officers;
``(ii) the number of individuals
interviewed--
``(I) on each circuit ride; and
``(II) at each circuit ride
location;
``(iii) the number of circuit rides; and
``(iv) for each circuit ride--
``(I) the duration of the circuit
ride;
``(II) the average number of
interviews conducted daily on the
circuit ride; and
``(III) the percentages of
interviews conducted for--
``(aa) individuals who
require Security Advisory
Opinions; and
``(bb) individuals who do
not require Security Advisory
Opinions.
``(B) For the subsequent quarter--
``(i) the number of circuit rides
scheduled; and
``(ii) the number of circuit rides planned.
``(4) Processing.--For the preceding quarter--
``(A) the average number of days between--
``(i) the date on which an individual is
identified by the United States Government as a
refugee; and
``(ii) the date on which such individual is
interviewed by the Secretary of Homeland
Security;
``(B) the average number of days between--
``(i) the date on which an individual
identified by the United States Government as a
refugee is interviewed by the Secretary of
Homeland Security; and
``(ii) the date on which such individual is
admitted to the United States; and
``(C) with respect to individuals identified by the
United States Government as refugees who have been
interviewed by the Secretary of Homeland Security, the
approval, denial, and hold rates for the applications
for admission of such individuals, by nationality.
``(5) Plan and additional information.--
``(A) A plan that describes the procedural or
personnel changes necessary to ensure the admission of
the number of refugees authorized to be admitted to the
United States in accordance with determinations under
subsections (a) and (b), including a projection of the
number of refugees to be admitted to the United States
each month so as to achieve the numerical goals set
forth in such determinations.
``(B) Additional information relating to the pace
of refugee admissions, as determined by the President.
``(h) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section may be
construed--
``(1) to inhibit the expeditious processing of refugee and
asylum applications; or
``(2) to restrict the authority of the Secretary of
Homeland Security to admit aliens to the United States under
any other Act.''.
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