Fix the Immigration Loopholes Act
Latest action. Referred to the subcommitteeA smaller panel inside a standing committee with jurisdiction over a slice of its subject matter. Most hearings and the first markup usually happen here.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) on Immigration and citizenshipFull membership in the national political community: the right to vote in federal elections, hold most federal offices, carry a U.S. passport, and never be deported.Read the full definition (opens a new tab).
Fix the Immigration Loopholes Act
This bill modifies immigration law provisions relating to unaccompanied alien minors and to asylum seekers.
For certain unaccompanied inadmissible alien children, generally those not at risk of being trafficking victims nor having a fear of persecution, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall repatriate the child. Currently, only inadmissible unaccompanied aliens from neighboring countries are subject to repatriation, and DHS has discretion whether to repatriate.
When HHS releases an unaccompanied child to an individual, it shall provide DHS with certain information about that individual, including Social Security number and immigration status.
The bill amends the definition of "credible fear of persecution" to require that such fear can be established by statements that are more probable than not. The bill also imposes certain rules relating to credible fear interviews, including requirements for recordings and interpreters.
If an alien is granted asylum because of fear of persecution in a country, the alien is deemed to have renounced asylum status by returning to that country, if there has been no change in the country's conditions. DHS may waive such renunciation if there was a compelling reason for the return.
The bill expands the definition of a frivolous asylum application to include an application so insufficient in substance that it is clear that it was filed to delay removal or seek employment authorization.
Any individual who knowingly and willfully makes materially false statements or uses fraudulent documents in asylum-related proceedings shall be fined or imprisoned up to 10 years, or both.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on January 16, 2019. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on February 25, 2019: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 116th Congress (2019-20), 344 of the 14,345 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.4 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Doug Collins (R-GA) introduced it on January 16, 2019, and 80 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They are 80 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on January 16, 2019, 2794 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 2754 days ago, on February 25, 2019.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 116th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2021 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers