{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.countable.us/bill/photo/hr2095-114/featured_american-families-united-act-1454549916.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.countable.us/bill/photo/hr2095-114/featured_large_american-families-united-act-1454549916.jpg","shareable":"https://n.countable.us/share-images/bills/hr2095-114.png"},"introduced_on":"2015-04-29","title_override":"Do Families Who Have Been Split By Immigration Law Deserve A Second Chance?","summary_override":"

This bill would expand the discretionary authority of government officials to waive minor violations of law when reviewing cases in which families have been split by immigration laws. It does not create new mechanisms for legalizing undocumented individuals.

The American Families United Act (AFUA) focuses those who if not for certain legal obstacles might be eligible to apply for lawful permanent residence. These \"inadmissibility waivers\" could be granted to:

People who entered the U.S. before age 16 and now have a bachelor's degree;
Those who made false claims of U.S. citizenship when they were under 18 years old, or because they lacked the mental competence to knowingly misrepresent a claim;
Individuals who made a false claim of U.S. citizenship if inadmissibility would create \"family separation hardship for the alien or for a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident family member.\"

The bill also expands the waiver of \"3 and 10 year bars,\" which prevent immigrants from obtaining lawful permanent residence or re-entering the U.S. if they have previously been in the country illegally for at least a year. The waiver currently applies to immigrants with spouses who are U.S. citizens; this bill would expand the waiver to parents of a U.S. citizen if the parent would suffer \"hardship\" without by not being in the U.S.

The legislation also creates a three-year statute of limitations on inadmissibility extending from fraud or misrepresentation tied to trying to obtain a visa or other immigration benefit.

Finally, the bill states that separation from family would be enough to obtain a waiver of inadmissibility in cases related to fraud or misrepresentation from trying to obtain a visa or other immigration benefit.

","official_title":"To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to promote family unity, and for other purposes.","short_title":"American Families United Act","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"American Families United Act\n\nStates that nothing in this Act shall be construed to enable the Attorney General or the Secretary of Homeland Security to expand his or her discretionary authority beyond a case-by-case basis, or to provide legalization or nationalization of persons covered under this Act.\n\nAmends the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to revise waiver of inadmissibility requirements, among other things waiving inadmissibility for: (1) certain persons who entered the United States before age 16 who have earned a degree from a U.S. institution of higher education, (2) false claims of U.S. citizenship by persons under age 18 or lacking mental competence to knowingly misrepresent a claim, and (3) false claims of U.S. citizenship if inadmissibility would create family separation hardship for the alien (including a self-petitioner under the Violence Against Women Act) or for a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident family member.\n\nAuthorizes parents of U.S. citizens or la...","summarized":true,"cost":null,"cost_commentary":"A CBO cost estimate is unavailable. ","impact":"People seeking to immigrate to the U.S. who have family members that are U.S. citizens.","argument_for":"This bill gives people a second chance to succeed in the U.S. and prevents families from being split apart by unfair laws.","argument_against":"We already have too many illegal immigrants entering the U.S., allowing more criminals into the country can’t be good. 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Do Families Who Have Been Split By Immigration Law Deserve A Second Chance?