[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 174 (Friday, September 6, 1996)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 47039-47041]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-22963]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Immigration and Naturalization Service

8 CFR Part 103

[AG Order No. 2054-96; INS No. 1792-96]
RIN 1115-AE51


Definition of the Term Lawfully Present in the United States for 
Purposes of Applying for Title II Benefits Under Section 401(b)(2) of 
Public Law 104-193

AGENCY: Immigration and Naturalization Service, Justice.

ACTION: Interim rule with request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: This interim rule amends the Immigration and Naturalization 
Service (Service) regulations to define the term ``an alien who is 
lawfully present in the United States'' so that the Social Security 
Administration may determine which aliens in the United States are 
eligible for benefits under title II of the Social Security Act. Aliens 
who are considered ``lawfully present in the United States,'' however, 
must otherwise satisfy the requirements for benefits under title II of 
the Social Security Act in order to receive social security benefits.

DATES: This rule is effective September 6, 1996. Written comments must 
be received on or before November 5, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Please submit written comments, in triplicate, to the 
Director, Policy Directives and Instructions Branch, Immigration and 
Naturalization Service, 425 I Street, NW., Room 5307, Washington, DC 
20536. To ensure proper handling, please reference INS number 1792-96 
on your correspondence. Comments are available for public inspection at 
this location by calling (202) 514-3048 to arrange an appointment.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Derek C. Smith, Assistant General Counsel, Office of the General 
Counsel; or Sophia Cox, Adjudications Officers, Adjudications Division; 
Immigration and Naturalization Service, 425 I Street, NW., Room 3214, 
Washington, DC 20536, telephone (202) 514-2895 or (202) 514-5014.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On August 22, 1996, the President signed the 
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 
(Personal Responsibility Act), Pub. L. 104-193. Section 401(a) of the 
Personal Responsibility Act provides that, subject to limited 
exceptions, only ``qualified aliens,'' as defined under section 431, 
may receive Federal public benefits,

[[Page 47040]]

including retirement, welfare, health, disability, public or assisted 
housing, postsecondary education, food assistance, and unemployment 
benefits, among others.
    Section 431(b) of the Personal Responsibility Act defines the term 
``qualified alien'' to mean the following six groups of aliens:
    (1) Aliens who are lawfully admitted for permanent residence under 
the Immigration and Nationality Act (Act);
    (2) Aliens who are granted asylum under section 208 of the Act;
    (3) Refugees admitted into the United States under section 207 of 
the Act;
    (4) Aliens who are paroled into the United States under section 
212(d)(5) of the Act for a period of at least 1 year;
    (5) Aliens whose deportation is being withheld under section 243(h) 
of the Act; and
    (6) Aliens who are granted conditional entry pursuant to section 
203(a)(7) of the Act as in effect prior to April 1, 1980.
    Section 401(b)(2) of the Personal Responsibility Act, however, 
provides an exception, which allows aliens who are ``lawfully present 
in the United States,'' as determined by the Attorney General, to 
receive benefits under title II of the Social Security Act. (Title II 
benefits include, for example, retirement benefits.) The purpose of 
this regulation, therefore, is to define the term ``an alien who is 
lawfully present in the United States,'' as required under section 
401(b)(2) of the Personal Responsibility Act, thereby enabling the 
Social Security Administration to determine whether aliens who are not 
``qualified aliens'' are eligible to receive title II benefits, if they 
are lawfully present in this country. This definition is made solely 
for the purpose of determining an alien's eligibility for payment of 
title II social security benefits, as required under section 401(b)(2) 
of the Personal Responsibility Act, and is not intended to confer any 
immigration status or benefit under the Immigration and Nationality 
Act.
    In determining which aliens are lawfully present for the purposes 
of section 401(b)(2) of Public Law 104-193, the Service had to 
distinguish among many classes of aliens in the United States. The 
characteristic common to all the classes of aliens defined as 
``lawfully present in the United States'' is that their presence in the 
United States has been sanctioned by a policy determination that a 
particular class of aliens should be allowed to remain in the United 
States, and that policy determination has almost always been 
implemented by an official act having the force of law. Each of the 
five categories defined as lawfully present fits within this rationale. 
First, the Service has concluded that Congress intended for qualified 
aliens, as defined in section 431(b) of the Personal Responsibility 
Act, to be included in the definition of lawfully present. Second, 
aliens who have been inspected and admitted to the United States and 
have not violated their status are lawfully present under the terms of 
the Immigration and Nationality Act. Third, an alien who has been 
paroled into the United States is lawfully present pursuant to section 
212(d)(5) of the Act. However, persons who are paroled in order to 
determine whether or not they must be excluded under the Act are not 
lawfully present because no determination has been made as to the 
lawfulness of their presence, and they are allowed into the United 
States to avoid having to keep them in detention while they wait 
proceedings. Fourth, aliens who belong to one of the seven classes of 
aliens listed in section 103.12(a)(4) of this rule have been permitted 
to remain in the United States either by an act of Congress or through 
some other policy determination affecting that class of aliens. Aliens 
in temporary resident status pursuant to section 210 or 245A of the 
Act, aliens under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) pursuant to section 
244A of the Act, and Family Unity beneficiaries pursuant to section 301 
of Pub. L. 101-649 are all in lawful status under the Act. Cuban-
Haitian entrants, aliens in deferred action status, aliens under 
Deferred Enforced Departure, and aliens who are the spouses and 
children of a United States citizen with an approved visa petition all 
remain in the United States under a Presidential or administrative 
policy that permits them to do so. Finally, applicants for asylum and 
withholding of deportation are permitted to remain in the United States 
because section 208(a) of the Act requires the Attorney General to 
create a procedure for adjudicating claims for asylum made by aliens 
physically present in the United States. Section 208(a) of the Act was 
passed to implement the obligations of the United States under the 
Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, of July 28, 1951, as 
incorporated into the Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, of 
January 31, 1967.

Good Cause Exception

    This interim rule is effective upon publication in the Federal 
Register although the Service invites post-promulgation comments and 
will address any such comments in a final rule. For the following 
reasons, the Service finds that good cause exists for adopting this 
rule without the prior notice and comment period ordinarily required by 
5 U.S.C. 553(b). Section 401(b)(2) of Pub. L. 104-193 requires the 
Attorney General to define the term ``an alien lawfully present in the 
United States'' so that the Social Security Administration can 
determine which aliens are eligible for payment of title II social 
security benefits under the terms of the Social Security Act. Absent a 
definition of ``an alien lawfully present in the United States,'' 
section 401(a) of Pub. L. 104-193 requires the Social Security 
Administration to suspend payments under title II for aliens who are 
not ``qualified aliens'' (as defined under section 431(b)) and who file 
applications on or after September 1, 1996. It is therefore 
impracticable to adopt this rule with the prior notice and comment 
period normally required under 5 U.S.C. 553(b).

Regulatory Flexibility Act

    The Attorney General, in accordance with the Regulatory Flexibility 
Act (5 U.S.C. 605(b)), has reviewed this regulation and, by approving 
it, certifies that this rule will not have a significant economic 
impact on a substantial number of small entities, because this 
regulation affects individuals, not small entities.

Executive Order 12866

    This interim rule is considered by the Department of Justice, 
Immigration and Naturalization Service, to be a ``significant 
regulatory action'' under E.O. 12866, section 3(f), Regulatory Planning 
Review, and it has been submitted to the Office of Management and 
Budget for review under E.O. 12866.

Executive Order 12988

    This interim rule meets the applicable standards set forth in 
sections 3(a) and 3(b)(2) of E.O. 12988.

Executive Order 12612

    This regulation will not have a substantial direct effect on the 
States, on the relationships between the National government and the 
States, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the 
various levels of government. Therefore, in accordance with E.O. 12612, 
it is determined that this rule does not have sufficient Federalism 
implications to warrant the preparation of a Federalism Assessment.

List of Subjects in 8 CFR Part 103

    Administrative practice and procedure, Authority delegations

[[Page 47041]]

(Government agencies), Freedom of Information, Privacy, Reporting and 
recordkeeping requirements, Surety bonds.
    Accordingly, part 103 of chapter I of title 8 of the Code of 
Federal Regulations is amended as follows:

PART 103--POWERS AND DUTIES OF SERVICE OFFICERS; AVAILABILITY OF 
SERVICE RECORDS

    1. The authority citation for part 103 continues to read as 
follows:

    Authority: 5 U.S.C. 552, 552(a); 8 U.S.C. 1101, 1103, 1201, 1252 
note, 1252b, 1304, 1356; 31 U.S.C. 9701; L E.O. 12356; 47 FR 14874, 
15557; 3 CFR 1982 Comp., p. 166; 8 CFR part 2.

    2. A new Sec. 103.12 is added to read as follows:


Sec. 103.12  Definition of the term ``lawfully present'' aliens for 
purposes of applying for Title II social security benefits under Public 
Law 104-193.

    (a) Definition of the term an ``alien who is lawfully present in 
the United States.'' For the purposes of section 401(b)(2) of Pub. L. 
104-193 only, an ``alien who is lawfully present in the United States'' 
means:
    (1) A qualified alien as defined in section 431(b) of Pub. L. 104-
193;
    (2) An alien who has been inspected and admitted to the United 
States and who has not violated the terms of the status under which he 
or she was admitted or to which he or she has changed after admission;
    (3) An alien who has been paroled into the United States pursuant 
to section 212(d)(5) of the Act for less than 1 year, except:
    (i) Aliens paroled for deferred inspection or pending exclusion 
proceedings under 236(a) of the Act; and
    (ii) Aliens paroled into the United States for prosecution pursuant 
to 8 CFR 212.5(a)(3);
    (4) An alien who belongs to one of the following classes of aliens 
permitted to remain in the United States because the Attorney General 
has decided for humanitarian or other public policy reasons not to 
initiate deportation or exclusion proceedings or enforce departure:
    (i) Aliens currently in temporary resident status pursuant to 
section 210 or 245A of the Act;
    (ii) Aliens currently under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) 
pursuant to section 244A of the Act;
    (iii) Cuban-Haitian entrants, as defined in section 202(b) Pub. L. 
99-603, as amended;
    (iv) Family Unity beneficiaries pursuant to section 301 of Pub. L. 
101-649, as amended;
    (v) Aliens currently under Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) 
pursuant to a decision made by the President;
    (vi) Aliens currently in deferred action status pursuant to Service 
Operations Instructions at OI 242.1(a)(22);
    (vii) Aliens who are the spouse or child of a United States citizen 
whose visa petition has been approved and who have a pending 
application for adjustment of status;
    (5) Applicants for asylum under section 208(a) of the Act and 
applicants for withholding of deportation under section 243(h) of the 
Act who have been granted employment authorization, and such applicants 
under the age of 14 who have had an application pending for at least 
180 days.
    (b) Non-issuance of an Order to Show Cause and non-enforcement of 
deportation and exclusion orders. An alien may not be deemed to be 
lawfully present solely on the basis of the Service's decision not to, 
or failure to, issue an Order to Show Cause or solely on the basis of 
the Service's decision not to, or failure to, enforce an outstanding 
order of deportation or exclusion.

    Dated: September 4, 1996.
Janet Reno,
Attorney General.
[FR Doc. 96-22963 Filed 9-4-96; 3:10 pm]
BILLING CODE 4410-10-M