[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2962 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2962

    To designate Pakistan under section 244 of the Immigration and 
  Nationality Act to permit nationals of Pakistan to be eligible for 
            temporary protected status under such sections.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 10, 2007

Mr. Al Green of Texas (for himself, Ms. Schakowsky, Ms. Jackson-Lee of 
  Texas, Mr. Honda, Ms. Kilpatrick, and Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of 
    Texas) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                       Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To designate Pakistan under section 244 of the Immigration and 
  Nationality Act to permit nationals of Pakistan to be eligible for 
            temporary protected status under such sections.

    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 ``Pakistani Temporary Protected Status 
Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) On October 8, 2005, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck 
        Pakistan.
            (2) In Pakistan, more than 73,000 people have been killed 
        as a result of this earthquake.
            (3) Immediately following the earthquake, nearly 3 million 
        people were living in tents or in the open air amid freezing 
        temperatures, having been left homeless by the earthquake.
            (4) The earthquake damaged sanitation systems in the 
        region, destroyed hospitals, and left many victims with no 
        access to clean drinking water, making them more vulnerable to 
        disease.
            (5) One year after the devastating 7.6 magnitude earthquake 
        that killed some 80,000 people in northern Pakistan and 
        Kashmir, more than 400,000 people were still without permanent 
        shelter.
            (6) Temporary protected status allows aliens who do not 
        legally qualify as refugees but are nonetheless fleeing or 
        reluctant to return to potentially dangerous situations to 
        temporarily remain in the United States.
            (7) Granting temporary protected status to nationals of 
        Pakistan is consistent with the interests of the United States 
        and promotes the values and morals that have made the United 
        States strong.

SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

    It is the sense of Congress that the extraordinary and temporary 
conditions caused by the earthquake in Pakistan qualifies Pakistan for 
designation under subparagraphs (B) or (C) of section 244(b)(1) of the 
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a(b)(1)), pursuant to 
which nationals of Pakistan would be eligible for temporary protected 
status in the United States.

SEC. 4. DESIGNATION FOR PURPOSES OF GRANTING TEMPORARY PROTECTED 
              STATUS.

    (a) Designation.--
            (1) In general.--For purposes of section 244 of the 
        Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1254a), Pakistan 
        shall be treated as if it had been designated under subsection 
        (b) of such section, subject to the provisions of this section.
            (2) Period of designation.--The initial period of such 
        designation shall begin on the date of the enactment of this 
        Act and shall remain in effect for 12 months.
    (b) Aliens Eligible.--In applying section 244 of such Act pursuant 
to the designation made under this section, subject to section 
244(c)(3) of such Act, an alien who is a national of Pakistan is deemed 
to satisfy the requirements of section 244(c)(1) of such Act only if 
the alien--
            (1) has been continuously physically present in the United 
        States since October 8, 2005;
            (2) is admissible as an immigrant, except as otherwise 
        provided under section 244(c)(2)(A) of such Act, and is not 
        ineligible for temporary protected status under section 
        244(c)(2)(B) of such Act; and
            (3) registers for temporary protected status in a manner 
        that the Secretary of Homeland Security shall establish.
    (c) Consent To Travel Abroad.--The Secretary of Homeland Security 
shall give the prior consent to travel abroad described in section 
244(f)(3) of such Act to an alien who is granted temporary protected 
status pursuant to the designation made under this section, if the 
alien establishes to the satisfaction of the Secretary of Homeland 
Security that emergency and extenuating circumstances beyond the 
control of the alien require the alien to depart for a brief, temporary 
trip abroad. An alien returning to the United States in accordance with 
such an authorization shall be treated the same as any other returning 
alien provided temporary protected status under section 244 of such 
Act.
                                 <all>