Bill > HR9773

This bill, titled the "Permanent Trump Secure Border Act," proposes significant changes to U.S. immigration law, primarily focusing on asylum reform and border protection. Key provisions include stricter rules for asylum eligibility, such as requiring aliens to apply for protection in transit countries unless they meet specific exceptions like being a victim of severe trafficking or if the transit countries are not signatories to refugee conventions; it also clarifies that asylum claims based on generalized fear of violence or the actions of rogue officials may not be considered. The bill introduces new grounds for asylum ineligibility, including convictions for certain misdemeanors involving identification documents, public benefits, or controlled substances, as well as offenses related to domestic violence, stalking, and driving under the influence that caused serious injury or death. Furthermore, it limits employment authorization for asylum applicants, generally requiring them to wait 180 days after filing their application, and prohibits it for those ineligible for asylum or who entered the U.S. outside of a port of entry. The bill also aims to expedite the adjudication of asylum applications for nationals of certain sanctioned Western Hemisphere countries and modifies rules regarding the inspection and return of aliens arriving at the border, including allowing for their return to contiguous foreign territories pending proceedings. For unaccompanied alien children, it adjusts repatriation procedures and information sharing between the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Homeland Security, while also clarifying eligibility for Special Immigrant Juvenile status. The bill also revises standards for family detention, asserting that there is no presumption against detaining alien children who are not unaccompanied and allowing for the use of family residential centers. Finally, it expands penalties for visa overstays, making them criminal offenses with potential fines and imprisonment, and reforms immigration parole by narrowing its discretionary use to specific humanitarian or public benefit cases, with detailed criteria and reporting requirements.