[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2625 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 2625
To authorize the admission of a limited number of Kurdish Syrians and
other Syrian partners as special immigrants, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
October 17, 2019
Mr. Warner introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To authorize the admission of a limited number of Kurdish Syrians and
other Syrian partners as special immigrants, 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 ``Syrian Allies Protection Act''.
SEC. 2. SPECIAL IMMIGRANT STATUS FOR PERSONS WORKING DIRECTLY WITH THE
UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES IN SYRIA.
(a) In General.--Subject to subsection (c)(1), the Secretary of
Homeland Security may provide an alien described in subsection (b) with
the status of a special immigrant under section 101(a)(27) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(27)) if the alien--
(1) submits a petition under section 204 of such Act (8
U.S.C. 1154) for classification under section 203(b)(4) of such
Act (8 U.S.C. 1153(b)(4)); and
(2) is otherwise eligible to receive an immigrant visa and
is otherwise admissible to the United States for permanent
residence, except in determining such admissibility, the
grounds for inadmissibility specified in section 212(a)(4) of
such Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(4)) shall not apply.
(b) Aliens Described.--An alien described in this subsection--
(1)(A) is a national of Syria;
(B) worked directly with the United States Armed Forces as
a translator or in another role that was vital to the success
of the United States military mission in Syria, as determined
by the Secretary of Defense or his designee, for a period of at
least 6 months between September 13, 2014, and October 15,
2019;
(C) obtained a favorable written recommendation from a
general or flag officer in the chain of command of the United
States Armed Forces unit that was supported by the alien; and
(D) cleared a background check and screening before filing
a petition under subsection (a)(1), as determined by a general
or flag officer in the chain of command of the United States
Armed Forces unit that was supported by the alien; or
(2)(A) is the spouse or child of a principal alien
described in paragraph (1); and
(B) is following or accompanying to join such principal
alien.
(c) Numerical Limitations.--
(1) In general.--The total number of principal aliens who
may be provided special immigrant status under this section
during any fiscal year may not exceed 250.
(2) Counting against special immigrant cap.--For purposes
of the application of sections 201 through 203 of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1151 through 1153) in
any fiscal year, aliens eligible for special immigrant status
under this section--
(A) shall be treated as special immigrants
described in section 101(a)(27) of such Act (8 U.S.C.
1101(a)(27)) who are not described in subparagraph (A),
(B), (C), or (K) of such section; and
(B) shall not be counted against the numerical
limitations under sections 201(d), 202(a), and
203(b)(4) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8
U.S.C. 1151(d), 1152(a), and 1153(b)(4)).
(d) Adjustment of Status.--Notwithstanding paragraphs (2), (7), and
(8) of section 245(c) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C.
1255(c)), the Secretary of Homeland Security may adjust the status of
an alien to that of a lawful permanent resident under section 245(a) of
such Act if the alien--
(1) was paroled or admitted as a nonimmigrant into the
United States; and
(2) is otherwise eligible for special immigrant status
under this section and under the Immigration and Nationality
Act (8 U.S.C. 1101 et seq.).
SEC. 3. EVACUATION FRAMEWORK.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the
Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security, shall
develop and implement a framework for--
(1) temporarily resettling individuals applying for special
immigrant status whose lives or safety is at risk if they
remain in their country of origin or country of last habitual
residence in a safe third country while appropriate background
checks are conducted on such individuals; and
(2) granting humanitarian parole to individuals described
in paragraph (1) pursuant to section 212(d)(5)(B) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(d)(5)(B)).
(b) Effect of Recommendation.--If the Secretary of Homeland
Security determines that an alien who has obtained a favorable written
recommendation pursuant to subparagraph (C) of section 2(b)(1), or the
spouse or child of such alien, would be exposed to significant risk to
his or her life or safety while waiting for the results of the
background check and screening described in subparagraph (D) of such
section, such recommendation shall be deemed to constitute sufficient
evidence of a compelling reason--
(1) to temporarily resettle the alien and his or her spouse
and children, if applicable, in a safe third country; or
(2) to parole the alien and his or her spouse and children,
if applicable, pursuant to section 212(d)(5)(B) of the
Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(d)(5)(B)).
SEC. 4. RESETTLEMENT ASSISTANCE.
Syrian aliens granted special immigrant status under section 2
shall be eligible for resettlement assistance, entitlement programs,
and other benefits available to refugees admitted under section 207 of
the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1157) for a period not to
exceed 6 months.
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