Bill Summary
This bill, known as the "Military Family Parole in Place Act," seeks to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to allow certain relatives of current and former members of the Armed Forces to be paroled into the United States. This would include spouses, widows or widowers, parents, and children of members of the Armed Forces on active duty, the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve, or individuals who have previously served in the Armed Forces and were discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. The Secretary of Homeland Security would have the authority to grant parole in 1-year increments, unless a joint written justification for denial is issued by the Secretaries of Homeland Security, Defense, and Veterans Affairs. Any denials would be made public, but without sharing personally identifiable information.
Possible Impacts
1. This legislation would potentially allow for certain relatives of current and former members of the Armed Forces to be allowed into the United States through the process of parole, which could greatly impact the lives of these individuals and their families. This could mean the difference between being able to reunite with loved ones or being separated from them for an indefinite amount of time.
2. The requirement for a written justification from the Secretaries of Homeland Security, Defense, and Veterans Affairs for any denial of parole could create a significant bureaucratic hurdle for individuals seeking to be paroled into the United States. This could potentially delay or prevent reunification with family members and could have a significant emotional and financial impact on those affected.
3. The provision for publishing information about denials of parole on a publicly available website could potentially lead to stigmatization and discrimination against certain individuals or families. This could affect their ability to find employment, housing, and other opportunities, and could have a negative impact on their overall well-being.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5282 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5282
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the Secretary
of Homeland Security to parole into the United States certain relatives
of current and former members of the Armed Forces, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 3, 2019
Mr. Cisneros (for himself, Ms. Escobar, Mr. Carbajal, Mr. Gallego, and
Mr. Crow) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the Secretary
of Homeland Security to parole into the United States certain relatives
of current and former members of the Armed Forces, and for other
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Military Family Parole in Place
Act''.
SEC. 2. PAROLE FOR CERTAIN RELATIVES OF CURRENT AND FORMER MEMBERS OF
THE ARMED FORCES.
Section 212(d)(5) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1182(d)(5)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``subparagraph (B)
or'' and inserting ``subparagraphs (B) and (C) and'';
(2) by striking ``Attorney General'' each place such term
appears and inserting ``Secretary of Homeland Security''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(C)(i) Except as provided in clause (iii), the Secretary of
Homeland Security shall parole into the United States an alien who is
the spouse, widow or widower, parent, or child of--
``(I) a member of the Armed Forces on active duty;
``(II) a member of the Selected Reserve of the Ready
Reserve; or
``(III) an individual, whether living or deceased, who--
``(aa) previously served as--
``(AA) a member of the Armed Forces on
active duty; or
``(BB) a member of the Selected Reserve of
the Ready Reserve; and
``(bb) was discharged or released from such service
under a condition other than dishonorable.
``(ii) The Secretary of Homeland Security shall parole an alien
into the United States under clause (i) in 1-year increments.
``(iii)(I) An application for parole under this subparagraph may be
denied only if the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of
Defense, and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs jointly issue a written
justification for the denial.
``(II) The Secretary of Homeland Security, the Secretary of
Defense, and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs may not delegate the
responsibility described in subclause (I).
``(III)(aa) In the case of a denial under subclause (I), the
Secretary of Homeland Security shall publish on a publicly available
internet website of the Department of Homeland Security information
about the denial, including a detailed justification for the denial.
``(bb) Information published under item (aa) shall not include
personally identifiable information.''.
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