American Families United Act
American Families United Act
Plain Language Summary
# American Families United Act Summary **What the Bill Does:** The American Families United Act would give the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Justice more flexibility to decide on a case-by-case basis whether to allow certain immigrants to stay in or enter the United States, rather than automatically removing them. Specifically, it would allow these agencies to prevent deportation or admission denials if doing so would separate an immigrant from their U.S. citizen spouse, parent, or child—or if the immigrant is married to or the child of a deceased U.S. citizen.
The bill presumes that family separation constitutes hardship, but exceptions would apply for serious crimes and security-related offenses. **Who It Affects:** This bill primarily affects non-citizens facing deportation or immigration denial who have close family ties to U.S. citizens. It could allow some immigrants already ordered removed to request their cases be reopened under the new rules. **Current Status:** The bill (HR 2366) was introduced in the 119th Congress by Rep. Veronica Escobar (D-TX) and is currently in committee, meaning it has not yet been debated or voted on by the full House.
CRS Official Summary
American Families United Act This bill authorizes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or the Department of Justice (DOJ) to exercise discretion in certain immigration cases. Under this bill, DOJ or DHS may, on a case-by-case basis, exercise discretion by declining to remove a non-U.S. national (alien under federal law) or bar an alien from entering the United States to prevent hardship for the alien's U.S. citizen spouse, parent, or child. This discretion may also be exercised if the alien is the spouse or child of a deceased U.S. citizen. For the purposes of this bill, it shall be presumed that family separation constitutes hardship. However, DOJ or DHS may not exercise this discretion if the alien is removable or inadmissible due to certain grounds, including specified crime- and security-related grounds. This exercise of discretion may be applied to an alien who was ordered removed or denied entry prior to this bill's enactment if the alien files a motion to reopen or reconsider within two years of this bill's enactment.
Latest Action
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.