This bill, called the GRACE Act, would change the law that controls how many refugees may come to the United States each year. It would require the President to set a minimum annual number of refugee admissions that is not fewer than 125,000. The President could also set an additional number of refugees to be admitted through community or private sponsorship, where community groups or private sponsors provide initial reception and placement services.
The bill requires federal officials to treat the President's determinations as numerical goals for the fiscal year. The President must set regional allocations that either reflect the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees projected global resettlement needs or include an assessment from the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State may keep an unallocated reserve to use for regions with rising need after notifying two Congressional Judiciary Committees.
The bill requires quarterly public reports on admissions and on processing. The admissions report must show numbers and percentages of refugees admitted, cumulative admissions for the fiscal year, remaining admissions needed to meet the goals, and regional breakdowns. The processing report must detail enhanced security checks by nationality, deployment and activity of Refugee Corps officers on circuit rides, average processing times between referral, interview, and admission, and approval/denial rates by nationality. "Enhanced security check" is defined and includes USCIS national security processes, interagency checks, additional vetting for certain countries, and screening publicly available social media.
If quarterly admissions are less than 25 percent of the authorized number, the President must provide an assessment of country conditions, a plan with procedural or personnel changes and a monthly projection to meet the goals, and any other information the President determines relevant. The bill includes a rule of construction saying it does not inhibit expeditious processing or restrict the Secretary of Homeland Security's authority to admit people under other laws.
No publicly available information in the bill text on costs, appropriations, or funding for new activities or staffing.
The bill text lists sponsors who introduced it. No publicly available information in the bill text about proponents' specific statements or arguments.
No publicly available information in the bill text about opponents' statements or arguments.