[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 565 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 565

  To recognize that Christians and Yazidis in Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, 
    Iran, and Libya are targets of genocide, and to provide for the 
     expedited processing of immigrant and refugee visas for such 
                  individuals, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 13, 2017

 Mr. Rohrabacher (for himself, Mr. Poe of Texas, Mr. King of Iowa, Mr. 
     Bishop of Michigan, Mr. Webster of Florida, and Mr. Grothman) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for 
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To recognize that Christians and Yazidis in Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, 
    Iran, and Libya are targets of genocide, and to provide for the 
     expedited processing of immigrant and refugee visas for such 
                  individuals, 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 ``Save Christians from Genocide Act''.

SEC. 2. DECLARATION OF POLICY.

    Congress--
            (1) recognizes that Christians and Yazidis in Iraq, Syria, 
        Pakistan, Iran, and Libya are targets of genocide and 
        encourages other nations to likewise recognize the ongoing 
        genocide and the threat of genocide to these people; and
            (2) further recognizes that such targets of genocide who 
        are seeking admission to the United States as immigrants or 
        refugees should be given priority and expedited processing.

SEC. 3. EMERGENCY ADMISSION OF REFUGEES AND IMMIGRANTS.

    (a) Refugees.--
            (1) Emergency refugee situation described.--The persecution 
        of Christians and Yazidis in Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Iran, and 
        Libya constitutes an unforeseen emergency refugee situation, 
        and the admission of such persecuted individuals in response to 
        that situation is of grave humanitarian concern.
            (2) Expedited processing.--The Secretary of Homeland 
        Security shall provide for the expedited processing of the 
        visas for aliens described in paragraph (3), and shall ensure 
        that such applications receive first priority among 
        applications for refugee status.
            (3) Aliens described.--An alien is described in this 
        paragraph if the alien--
                    (A) is a citizen or national of Iraq, Syria, 
                Pakistan, Iran, or Libya, or in the case of an alien 
                having no nationality, whose country of last habitual 
                residence was Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Iran, or Libya;
                    (B) is a member of the Christian or Yazidi 
                community; and
                    (C) is seeking admission to the United States as a 
                refuge under section 207 of the Immigration and 
                Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157).
            (4) Qualification as refugees.--For purposes of qualifying 
        as a refugee under section 101 of the Immigration and 
        Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101)--
                    (A) membership in the Christian or Yazidi community 
                shall qualify an alien described in paragraph (3) as a 
                member of a persecuted group; and
                    (B) the requirement that an alien be outside any 
                country of such person's nationality or, in the case of 
                a person having no nationality, is outside any country 
                in which such person last habitually resided, shall not 
                apply to an alien described in paragraph (3).
    (b) Immigrants.--
            (1) Expedited processing.--The Secretary of Homeland 
        Security shall provide for the expedited processing of visas 
        for the aliens described in paragraph (2), and shall ensure 
        that such applications receive first priority among 
        applications for immigrant status.
            (2) Aliens described.--An alien is described in this 
        paragraph if the alien--
                    (A) is a citizen or national of Iraq, Syria, 
                Pakistan, Iran, Libya, or in the case of an alien 
                having no nationality, whose country of last habitual 
                residence was Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Iran, or Libya;
                    (B) is a member of the Christian or Yazidi 
                community; and
                    (C) is seeking admission to the United States as an 
                immigrant under subsection (a) or (b) of section 203 of 
                the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1153).
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