[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 234 (Friday, December 4, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78346-78347]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-26699]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

[Docket No. DHS-2020-0035]


Privacy Act of 1974; Computer Matching Program

AGENCY: U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), Department 
of Homeland Security (DHS).

ACTION: Notice of a re-established matching program.

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SUMMARY: As required by the Privacy Act of 1974, as amended, DHS/USCIS 
is issuing public notice of the re-established computer matching 
program between DHS, USCIS and the California Department of Social 
Services (CA-DSS), titled ``Verification Division DHS-USCIS/CA-DSS.''

DATES: This re-established matching program will commence not sooner 
than 30 days after publication of this notice, provided no comments are 
received that warrant a change to this notice. This matching program 
will be conducted for an initial term of 18 months (from approximately 
January 28, 2021 to July 27, 2022) and within 3 months of expiration 
may be renewed for one additional year if the parties make no 
substantive change to the matching program and certify that the program 
has been conducted in compliance with the matching agreement.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number DHS-
2020-0035, at:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Please follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail and hand delivery or commercial delivery: U.S. 
Citizenship and Immigration Services, ATTN: Privacy Officer--Donald K. 
Hawkins, 20 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20529.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the words 
``Department of Homeland Security'' and docket number DHS-2020-0035. 
All comments received will be posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: DHS Privacy Office Chief Privacy 
Officer Constantina Kozanas at 202-343-1717.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DHS-USCIS provides this notice in 
accordance with the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), as amended by 
the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988 (Pub. L. 100-
503) and the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Amendments of 
1990 (Pub. L. 101-508) (Privacy Act); Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) Final Guidance Interpreting the Provisions of Public Law 100-503, 
the Computer Matching and Privacy Protection Act of 1988, 54 FR 25818 
(June 19, 1989); and OMB Circular A-108, 81 FR 94424 (December 23, 
2016).

Participating Agencies

    The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and 
Immigration Services (DHS-USCIS) is the source agency and the 
California Department of Social Services (CA-DSS) is the recipient 
agency.

Authority for Conducting the Matching Program

    Section 121 of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 
1986, Pub. Law No. 99-603, as amended by the Personal Responsibility 
and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), Pub. Law No. 
104-193, 110 Stat. 2168 (1996), requires DHS to establish a system for 
the verification of immigration status of alien applicants for, or 
recipients of, certain types of benefits as specified within IRCA, and 
to make this system available to state agencies that administer such 
benefits. Section 121(c) of IRCA amends Section 1137 of the Social 
Security Act and certain other sections of law that pertain to federal 
entitlement benefit programs. Section 121(c) requires state agencies 
administering these programs to use DHS-USCIS's verification system to 
make eligibility determinations in order to prevent the issuance of 
benefits to ineligible alien applicants. The Verification Information 
System (VIS) used by the DHS/USCIS Systematic Alien Verification for 
Entitlements (SAVE) Program is the DHS-USCIS system available to the 
CA-DSS and other covered agencies for use in making these eligibility 
determinations.
    The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 
1996 (IIRIRA), Public Law 104-208, 110 Stat. 3009 (1996) grants 
federal, state, or local government agencies seeking to verify or 
ascertain the citizenship or immigration status of any individual 
within the jurisdiction of the agency with the authority to request 
such information from DHS-USCIS for any purpose authorized by law, and 
to send information related to immigration status information to DHS-
USCIS, notwithstanding any other provision of law.
    CA-DSS will access information contained in the SAVE Program for 
the purpose of confirming the immigration status of alien applicants 
for, or recipients of, benefits it administers to discharge its 
obligation to conduct such verifications pursuant to Section 1137 of 
the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1320b-7(a) et seq.), Section 213A of 
the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1183a and 1631), and 
California Welfare and Institution Codes 11104.1, 14007.5 and 14011.2.

Purpose(s)

    The purpose of this Agreement is to re-establish the terms and 
conditions governing CA-DSS's access to, and use of, the DHS-USCIS 
Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) Program, which 
provides immigration status information from federal immigration 
records to authorized users, and to comply with the Computer Matching 
and Privacy Protections Act of 1988.
    CA-DSS will use the SAVE Program to verify the immigration status 
of non-U.S. citizens who apply for federal benefits (Benefit 
Applicants) under Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and 
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) programs that CA-DSS 
administers. CA-DSS will use the information obtained through the SAVE 
Program to determine whether Benefit Applicants possess the requisite 
immigration status to be eligible for the TANF and SNAP programs 
administered by CA-DSS.

[[Page 78347]]

Categories of Individuals

    DHS-USCIS will provide the following to CA-DSS: Records in DHS-
USCIS VIS and SAVE Program containing information related to the status 
of aliens and other persons on whom DHS-USCIS has a record as an 
applicant, petitioner, or beneficiary.
    CA-DSS will provide the following to DHS-USCIS: CA-DSS records 
pertaining to alien and naturalized/derived United States citizen 
applicants for, or recipients of, entitlement benefit programs 
administered by the State.

Categories of Records

    Data elements contained within CA-DSS records that may be matched 
with federal immigration records during automated initial verification 
or additional verification include the following: Full name; Date of 
Birth; One or More Immigration Number (e.g. Alien Registration USCIS 
Number; Arrival Departure Record (I-94 Number); SEVIS ID Number; 
Certificate of Naturalization Number; Certificate of Citizenship 
Number, or Unexpired Passport Number); and, Other information from 
Immigration Documentation (e.g. Country of Birth, Date of Entry, 
Employment Authorization Category).
    Data elements contained within DHS-USCIS's records to be provided 
to CA-DSS may consist of the following: Full name; Date of Birth; one 
or more Immigration Number (e.g. Alien Registration USCIS Number; 
Arrival Departure Record (I-94 Number); SEVIS ID Number; Certificate of 
Naturalization Number, Certificate of Citizenship Number, or Unexpired 
Passport Number); Other information from Immigration Documentation 
(e.g. Country of Birth; Date of Entry; Employment Authorization 
Category); Sponsorship Data (e.g. name, address, and social security 
number of FORM I-864/I-864EZ sponsors and Form I-864A household 
members, when applicable); and Case Verification Number.

System of Records

    DHS/USCIS-004 Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) 
Systems of Records Notice, 85 FR 31798 (May 27, 2020).

Constantina Kozanas,
Chief Privacy Officer, Department of Homeland Security.
[FR Doc. 2020-26699 Filed 12-3-20; 8:45 am]
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