Bill > HR7608

This bill, the Southeast Asian Deportation Relief Act of 2026, aims to halt the removal of certain nationals from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam who have established long-term residency in the United States. Specifically, it prevents the detention or removal of individuals from these countries if they entered the U.S. on or before January 1, 2008, and have continuously resided here since then, even if they have a prior removal order. The bill also mandates that the Secretary of Homeland Security provide these individuals with authorization to permanently work in the U.S. and allows for the reopening of immigration cases for those who were ordered removed or departed under voluntary departure before the bill's enactment, provided they would have been protected by this Act. Furthermore, it requires the government to provide notice of these provisions to eligible individuals and allows for judicial review of any denials related to reopening cases. The context for this bill highlights the historical involvement of the U.S. in Southeast Asia, the subsequent refugee crises, and the unique challenges faced by these communities, including trauma from war and genocide, and how later immigration policies, such as the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA) and the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA), expanded deportation grounds and limited due process, impacting many Southeast Asian Americans.

Justice

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7608/all-info