[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 163 (Wednesday, October 16, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S5849]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself and Mr. Graham):
  S. 2612. A bill for the relief of Maria Isabel Bueso Barrera, Alberto 
Bueso Mendoza, and Karla Maria Barrera De Bueso; to the Committee on 
the Judiciary.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, today I am introducing a bill with 
Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsay Graham for the private relief of 
Maria Isabel Bueso Barrera and her parents. Ms. Bueso is a Guatemalan 
national living in Concord, California. She has a rare medical 
condition and her removal from the United States would deprive her of 
lifesaving medical care.
  Ms. Bueso suffers from a rare, life-threatening disorder called 
Mucopolysaccharidosis Type VI (MPS-VI)--a rare genetic condition caused 
by the absence of an enzyme that is needed for the growth of healthy 
bones and connective tissues. Ms. Bueso uses a wheelchair for mobility, 
has a shunt in her brain, and requires a tracheotomy to help her 
breathe.
  In 2003, Ms. Bueso and her family came to the United States at the 
invitation of doctors who were conducting a clinical trial to treat her 
condition. That trial led to Food and Drug Administration approved 
treatment for MPS-VI. Ms. Bueso now receives this life-saving treatment 
every week at UCSF Children's Hospital in Oakland, CA, where she 
undergoes a 6-hour infusion of a prescription drug that replaces the 
enzyme that people with MPS-VI lack. Ms. Bueso has participated in six 
other medical trials.
  For the past 10 years, Isabel and her family received deferred action 
from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services so that she could 
continue receiving the treatments that keep her alive. This treatment 
is not available in Guatemala.
  On August 13, 2019, USCIS notified Ms. Bueso and her family that 
their extensions of deferred action were denied, and that they would be 
deported if they did not leave the United States within 33 days. This 
decision was effectively a death sentence for Ms. Bueso. On September 
3, 2019, USCIS announced that they would reconsider her case, but a 
final decision has not been made.
  Ms. Bueso has beaten the odds because of the life-saving treatment 
that she has received in the United States. She is now 24 years old, 
and a 2018 graduate of California State University, East Bay. She has 
become an outspoken advocate on behalf of people with rare diseases. 
Her family pays taxes, owns a home, and is active in their community.
  The Bueso family should be allowed to remain in California, where 
they will continue to enrich their community, and where Isabel will be 
able to receive the care that allows her to survive and thrive.
  The legislation that Chairman Graham and I are introducing today 
would provide a permanent solution for Isabel and her parents. I ask my 
colleagues to support this private bill, which makes the Bueso family 
eligible for issuance of an immigrant visa or for adjustment of status.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text 
of the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                S. 2612

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

     SECTION 1. PERMANENT RESIDENT STATUS FOR MARIA ISABEL BUESO 
                   BARRERA, ALBERTO BUESO MENDOZA, AND KARLA MARIA 
                   BARRERA DE BUESO.

       (a) In General.--Notwithstanding subsections (a) and (b) of 
     section 201 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 
     1151), Maria Isabel Bueso Barrera, Alberto Bueso Mendoza, and 
     Karla Maria Barrera De Bueso shall each be eligible for 
     issuance of an immigrant visa or for adjustment of status to 
     that of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence 
     upon filing an application for issuance of an immigrant visa 
     under section 204 of such Act (8 U.S.C. 1154) or for 
     adjustment of status to lawful permanent resident.
       (b) Adjustment of Status.--If Maria Isabel Bueso Barrera, 
     Alberto Bueso Mendoza, or Karla Maria Barrera De Bueso enters 
     the United States before the filing deadline specified in 
     subsection (c), Maria Isabel Bueso Barrera, Alberto Bueso 
     Mendoza, or Karla Maria Barrera De Bueso shall be considered 
     to have entered and remained lawfully in the United States 
     and shall be eligible for adjustment of status under section 
     245 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1255) as 
     of the date of the enactment of this Act.
       (c) Application and Payment of Fees.--Subsections (a) and 
     (b) shall apply only if the applications for issuance of 
     immigrant visas or the applications for adjustment of status 
     are filed with appropriate fees not later than two years 
     after the date of the enactment of this Act.
       (d) Reduction of Immigrant Visa Numbers.--Upon the granting 
     of immigrant visas or permanent resident status to Maria 
     Isabel Bueso Barrera, Alberto Bueso Mendoza, and Karla Maria 
     Barrera De Bueso, the Secretary of State shall instruct the 
     proper officer to reduce by three, during the current or next 
     following fiscal year--
       (1) the total number of immigrant visas that are made 
     available to natives of the country of birth of Maria Isabel 
     Bueso Barrera, Alberto Bueso Mendoza, and Karla Maria Barrera 
     De Bueso under section 203(a) of the Immigration and 
     Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1153(a)); or
       (2) if applicable, the total number of immigrant visas that 
     are made available to natives of the country of birth of 
     Maria Isabel Bueso Barrera, Alberto Bueso Mendoza, and Karla 
     Maria Barrera De Bueso under section 202(e) of such Act (8 
     U.S.C. 1152(e)).
       (e) PAYGO.--The budgetary effects of this Act, for the 
     purpose of complying with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 
     2010, shall be determined by reference to the latest 
     statement titled ``Budgetary Effects of PAYGO Legislation'' 
     for this Act, submitted for printing in the Congressional 
     Record by the Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee, 
     provided that such statement has been submitted prior to the 
     vote on passage.
                                 ______