End Unaccountable Amnesty Act

Full Title:
End Unaccountable Amnesty Act

Summary#

This bill changes several parts of U.S. immigration law. It: (1) rewrites how Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is designated, extended, and ended — requiring an act of Congress for initial designations and extensions, limiting each designation or extension to 12 months, and requiring the act to include an estimate of eligible nationals and their U.S. immigration status. It also allows TPS to cover people who lack lawful immigration status and replaces references to the Attorney General with the Secretary of Homeland Security. (2) Changes rules for unaccompanied alien children, removing some special rules for children from neighboring countries, adjusting custody and screening timelines, requiring Health and Human Services to share placement adults' identifying information with DHS, and directing DHS to start removal proceedings for placement adults unlawfully present. It also narrows eligibility for Special Immigrant Juvenile status by requiring that reunification with any parent not be precluded by abuse, neglect, or abandonment. (3) Repeals cancellation of removal under section 240A of the Immigration and Nationality Act and makes many related technical changes. (4) Prohibits the TSA from accepting certain documents for airport ID (the CBP One mobile app, a DHS notice to appear, and DHS Form I-385) and allows a new prohibition on air carriers that permit use of those documents to board aircraft in U.S. air transportation. (5) Narrows and limits immigration parole authority: it emphasizes case-by-case parole (not class parole), lists narrow urgent humanitarian reasons and a narrow definition of significant public benefit, limits most parole grants to 1 year (with limited extensions), caps parole granted under the new standard at 1,000 people per fiscal year, restricts employment authorization for most parolees, requires annual reporting to Congress about parole use, and includes implementation timing and limited exceptions for pending applications. It also creates a private cause of action allowing a person, state, or local government to sue the federal government if they suffer more than $1,000 in financial harm from failures to apply these provisions.

What it means for you#

  • For people from countries that might get TPS: Congress would have to pass a law to create or extend TPS for a country, and each designation would last no more than 12 months. The bill also explicitly allows TPS to cover some people who do not have lawful immigration status.
  • For unaccompanied children: screenings, custody transfers, and case timelines are changed; HHS must give DHS data about the adults the children are placed with, and DHS must start removal proceedings if a placement adult is unlawfully present. Special Immigrant Juvenile eligibility would be narrowed in some cases. These changes apply to children apprehended 30 days after the bill becomes law unless otherwise stated.
  • For immigrants seeking parole: parole authority is narrowed to specific, listed reasons, most grants would be temporary (usually up to 1 year), and the total number of parolees under the new standard would be limited to 1,000 per fiscal year. Parole generally would not lead to eligibility for adjustment of status if the person left with a status that did not allow adjustment. Annual reporting to Congress on parole use is required.
  • For air travelers and airlines: TSA is barred from accepting certain DHS documents as airport ID, and airlines could be barred from U.S. operations if they allow passengers to board with those specific documents.
  • For states, localities, and others: the bill allows a civil lawsuit against the federal government if they suffer more than $1,000 in financial harm from failures to follow these rules.

Expenses#

No publicly available information on estimated costs or budget effects is included in the bill text or metadata.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information in the bill text describes proponents' arguments or stated benefits beyond the bill's text and title.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information in the bill text describes opponents' arguments or stated concerns.