Bill > HR116

This bill proposes significant changes to U.S. immigration law, particularly focusing on unaccompanied alien children (UACs) and asylum processes. For unaccompanied children, the bill modifies existing rules to expand the Department of Homeland Security's discretion in handling their cases, allowing for more flexible agreements with foreign countries and requiring specialized interviews for child trafficking victims. The bill also clarifies family detention standards, giving the Secretary of Homeland Security broader authority to detain families and restricting the release of minors only to lawful guardians. Regarding asylum, the bill introduces stricter requirements, including a more rigorous credible fear interview process, reducing the time to apply for asylum from one year to six months, and establishing more stringent penalties for asylum fraud. The bill also introduces new conditions for asylum eligibility, such as requiring applicants to have entered the U.S. at an official port of entry and considering the possibility of internal relocation within their home country as an alternative to asylum. Additionally, the bill includes provisions to terminate asylum status for individuals who return to their home country without demonstrating changed conditions, and it increases potential criminal penalties for asylum-related fraud to up to 10 years imprisonment.

Justice

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/116/all-info