[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5141 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5141

 To provide for the termination of the Central American Minors Refugee/
                            Parole Program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 29, 2016

Mr. Gosar (for himself, Mr. Babin, Mr. Barletta, Mrs. Black, Mr. Brat, 
 Mr. Brooks of Alabama, Mr. DesJarlais, Mr. Duncan of South Carolina, 
Mr. Gohmert, Mr. Grothman, Mr. Huelskamp, Mr. Jones, Mr. King of Iowa, 
    Mr. Marchant, Mr. Mica, Mr. Palazzo, Mr. Rogers of Alabama, Mr. 
  Rohrabacher, Mr. Salmon, Mr. Sessions, Mr. Weber of Texas, and Mr. 
   Austin Scott of Georgia) introduced the following bill; which was 
               referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To provide for the termination of the Central American Minors Refugee/
                            Parole Program.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Central American 
Amnesty Termination Act of 2016''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) On December 1, 2014, in the face of serious national 
        security threats, and despite vigorous opposition from the 
        Congress, the Obama Administration began accepting applications 
        for a new program known as the ``Central American Minors (CAM) 
        Refugee/Parole Program'' (the ``CAM program'').
            (2) Article 1, section 8, of the Constitution gives the 
        Congress clear jurisdiction on immigration matters, and the 
        unilateral creation of the CAM program by executive action 
        clearly infringes on that authority.
            (3) Under the CAM program, the Obama Administration allows 
        illegal aliens from 3 Central American countries to fly to the 
        United States and be admitted into the United States.
            (4) In a December 17, 2015, letter to multiple Members of 
        the Congress, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services 
        Director Leon Rodriquez acknowledged that the agency does not 
        systematically track whether CAM program applicants previously 
        have been removed from the United States or had prior felony 
        convictions.
            (5) The December 2015 letter also revealed that certain CAM 
        program beneficiaries are immediately eligible to work and 
        obtain legal status in the United States.
            (6) Under the CAM program, certain beneficiaries are 
        eligible ultimately to obtain permanent residence and are 
        immediately eligible for certain taxpayer-funded Federal 
        benefits.
            (7) Under the CAM program, certain beneficiaries are able 
        to pursue citizenship in the United States after 5 years of 
        permanent residence.
            (8) The CAM program provides cash, loans for flights to 
        North America, reimbursements for DNA testing, and medical 
        assistance.
            (9) The CAM program also waives certain fees for 
        participating beneficiaries, which fees are required to be paid 
        by potential legal immigrants who wish to enter this country in 
        accordance with our laws.
            (10) The Department of State reported in April 2016, that 
        8,001 aliens from 3 Central American countries have applied to 
        be admitted to the United States under the CAM program, and 
        that 197 parents and children already have been admitted under 
        the program.
            (11) The December 2015 letter also stated that at least 16 
        parents who completed an Affidavit of Relationship under the 
        CAM program were Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) 
        recipients, and indicated that the program plans eventually to 
        accept applications from the Deferred Action for Parents of 
        Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program.
            (12) DACA and DAPA were both created by the Obama 
        Administration through unconstitutional executive action. An 
        injunction to stop the creation of DAPA and the expansion of 
        DACA was upheld by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals.
            (13) The Associated Press recently obtained information 
        through a Freedom of Information Act request that revealed 
        that, of the 71,000 unaccompanied alien minors placed with 
        sponsors in the United States from February 2014 to September 
        2015, most of whom were from Central America, 80 percent were 
        placed with illegal immigrants living in the United States.
            (14) U.S. Customs and Border Protection reports that 
        141,192 unaccompanied alien minors from Central American 
        countries were apprehended by the United States Border Patrol 
        from October 1, 2008, through February 29, 2016.
            (15) Total U.S. Customs and Border apprehension on the 
        southwest border increased 28 percent in March 2016 compared to 
        the previous year, with 33,335 total Border Patrol 
        apprehensions, 4,201 of which were unaccompanied alien minors, 
        and 4,448 of which were members of family units traveling 
        together.
            (16) In an April 2015 hearing, the Subcommittee on 
        Immigration and the National Interest of the Senate Committee 
        on the Judiciary heard important testimony on the CAM program.
            (17) Testimony from officials within the Obama 
        Administration at the April 2015 hearing purported that the CAM 
        program would assist with reducing the surge of unaccompanied 
        alien minors on our southwest border.
            (18) Testimony at the April 2015 hearing revealed that the 
        CAM program will impose significant costs on taxpayers and 
        State and local governments.
            (19) Testimony at the April 2015 hearing found that the CAM 
        program is not a true refugee program, but rather is primarily 
        an end-run around the law to create a new admissions program 
        for alien families from 3 Central American countries in order 
        to unite them with other illegal aliens residing in the United 
        States.
            (20) The April hearing also revealed that the CAM program 
        has contributed to the surge of unaccompanied alien minors 
        flooding the United States, as the program provides an 
        incentive for further illegal immigration.
            (21) The CAM program has been a failure and has not helped 
        reduce the surge of unaccompanied alien minors on our southwest 
        border.

SEC. 3. CERTAIN ACTIVITIES PROHIBITED.

    Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no funds, resources, or 
fees made available to the Secretary of Homeland Security, or to any 
other official of a Federal agency, by any Act for any fiscal year, 
including any deposits into the ``Immigration Examinations Fee 
Account'' established under section 286(m) of the Immigration and 
Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1356(m)), may be used to implement, 
administer, or carry out the Central American Minors Refugee/Parole 
Program, or any successor program.
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