Immigration Consequences
of Criminal Activity
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Visa Applications and
Adjustment of Status
Worksite Enforcement
Appeals and Federal Litigation
Naturalization and
Citizenship
Immigration Bills in Congress
House Bills
H.R.1870 : To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for relief to surviving spouses and children.
Introduced by Representative James P. McGovern (MA-3) on April 2, 2009)
Last Major Action: April 2, 2009. Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
H.R.1868 : To amend section 301 of the Immigration and Nationality Act to clarify those classes of individuals born in the United States who are nationals and citizens of the United States at birth.
Introduced by Representative Nathan Deal (GA-9) on April 2, 2009.
Last Major Action: April 2, 2009. Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
H.R.1791 : This bill will permit foreign nationals earning a Ph.D. degree from a United States institution of higher education in a field of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics to be admitted for permanent residence, without the numerical limitations imposed on H-1B nonimmigrants.
Introduced by Representative Jeff Flake (AZ-6) on March 30, 2009.
Last Major Action: March 30, 2009. Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
H.R.1753 : This bill will amend the definition of the term "aggravated felony" to add a criminal violation committed by an alien who illegally entered the United States.
Introduced by Representative Ginny Brown-Waite (FL-5) on March 26, 2009.
Last Major Action: March 26, 2009. Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
H.R.1751 : This bill is also known as the “American DREAM Act”. The bill will permit States to determine State residency for higher education purposes. The bill will also provide for cancellation of removal and adjustment of status of certain alien students who have been in the United States for a period of at least five years and who had entered the United States before the age of 16.
Introduced by Representative Howard L. Berman (CA-28) on March 26, 2009).
Related Bill: S. 729.
Last Major Action: March 26, 2009. Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary and to the Committee on Education and Labor.
H.R.1651 : This bill will establish a right for an alien to file a motion to reopen a case in removal proceedings if the alien can show that counsel or a certified representative provided deficient performance.
Introduced by Representative James P. Moran (VA-8) on March 19, 2009.
Last Major Action: March 19, 2009. Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
H.R.1567 : This bill will amend the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 1998 by determining child status by using the age and status of the individual on October 21, 1998. The bill will also provide a period of two years in which eligible persons may apply to adjustment status.
Introduced by Representative Kendrick P. Meek (FL-17) on March 17, 2009.
Last Major Action: March 17, 2009. Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
H.R.1215 : This bill will modify immigration detention procedures, providing protections for unaccompanied children and female detainees. The bill will provide detainees with access to telephones, medical care, restrictions on transfers that negatively affect right to counsel and limit contact with family. The bill will also require service of the charging document on an immigration court within 48 hours after the foreign national is detained by Homeland Security.
Introduced by Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) on February 26, 2009)
Last Major Action: March 16, 2009. Referred to the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law.
H.R.1162 : This bill will amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to permit certain E-2 nonimmigrant investors to adjust status to lawful permanent resident status after being present in the United States for at least five years.
Introduced by Representative Adam H. Putnam (FL-12) on February 24, 2009)
Last Major Action: March 16, 2009. Referred to the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law.
H.R.1033 : This bill will amend the immigration laws by allowing for temporary admission of foreign nationals to the United States for medical treatment.
Introduced by Representative Steve Cohen (TN-9) on February 12, 2009.
Last Major Action: March 16, 2009. Referred to the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law.
H.R.1029 : This bill will increase criminal penalties for the crime of alien smuggling and terrorist related activities.
Introduced by Representative Baron P. Hill (IN-9) on February 12, 2009.
Related Bill: S. 424.
Last Major Action: April 1, 2009. Referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary.
H.R.1024 : This bill will permit permanent partners of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents to obtain lawful permanent resident status and will penalize immigration fraud in connection with permanent partnerships.
Introduced by Representative Jerrold Nadler (NY-8) on February 12, 2009.
Last Major Action: March 16, 2009. Referred to the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law.
H.R.1001 : This bill will create a new nonimmigrant visa category for registered nurses.
Introduced by Representative John B. Shadegg (AZ-3) on February 11, 2009.
Last Major Action: March 16, 2009. Referred to the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law.
H.R.994 : This bill provides, in part, for increased criminal penalties for alien smuggling; trafficking in passports; false statements in passport applications; forgery of passports; schemes to defraud aliens; immigration and visa fraud,. The bill will also prohibit mortgages, public housing, and property rentals to persons who lack valid personal identification.
Introduced by Representative Gary G. Miller (CA-42) on February 11, 2009.
Last Major Action: March 23, 2009. Referred to the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections.
H.R.938 : This bill will: repeal the aggravated felony definitions in section 321 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act, and other provisions as they were before the enactment of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996; repeal the stop time provisions for cancellation of removal; repeal the definition of conviction added by the Illegal Immigration reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act; restore section 212(c) as it existed prior to amendments by the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996; and restore judicial review for orders of removal.
Introduced by Representative Bob Filner (CA-51) on February 10, 2009.
Last Major Action: March 16, 2009. Referred to the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law.
H.R. 937 ; This bill will permit certain Mexican children, for regular medical appointments, with student groups attending educational or cultural events or for special community events and accompanying adults, to obtain a waiver of the visa or other entry requirements to enter the United States as a temporary visitor.
Introduced by Representative Bob Filner (CA-51) on February 10, 2009.
Last Major Action: March 16, 2009. Referred to the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law.
H.R.892 : This bill will deny Federal funds to any institution of higher education that admits as students aliens who are unlawfully present in the United States. The bill, however, will not affect any student grants, loans, work-study or other financial assistance for student attendance.
Introduced by Representative Sue Wilkins Myrick (NC-9) on February 4, 2009.
Last Major Action: March 16, 2009. Referred to the House Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning, and Competitiveness.
H.R.878 : This bill will change the number of family-sponsored immigrant visas.
Introduced by Representative Phil Gingrey (GA-11) on February 4, 2009.
Last Major Action: March 16, 2009. Referred to the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law.
H.R.588 : This bill will increase penalties for employing illegal aliens. Monetary fines for employing foreign nationals without authorization will range between $10,000 and $80,000 for first time offenses; $80,000 to $200,000 for second time offenses; and $120,000 to $1,600,000 for third time offenses.
Introduced by Representative Sue Wilkins Myrick (NC-9) on January 15, 2009.
Last Major Action: March 16, 2009. Referred to the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law.
H.R.373 : This bill will render inadmissible and deportable any aliens convicted of 3 drunk driving offenses provided one is a Federal or State felony for which a period of imprisonment of amore than one year was imposed.
Introduced by Representative Jeff Flake (AZ-6) on January 9, 2009.
Last Major Action: March 16, 2009. Referred to the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law.
H.R.314 : This bill will increase the number of Federal judgeships in judicial districts with heavy caseloads of criminal immigration cases. Arizona will receive 4 additional district judges. New Mexico will receive 1 additional district judge. Texas will receive 3 additional judges – 2 in the southern district and 1 in the western district.
Introduced by Representative Henry Cuellar (TX-28) on January 8, 2009.
Last Major Action: February 9, 2009. Referred to the House Subcommittee on the Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property.
H.R.264 : This bill is the new comprehensive reform bill.
Introduced by Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee (TX-18) on January 7, 2009.
Last Major Action: February 9, 2009. Referred to the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law.
H.R.246 : This bill will exempt elementary and secondary schools from the fee imposed on employers filing petitions with respect to non-immigration workers under the H-1B program.
Introduced by Representative Gene Green (TX-29).
Last Major Action: February 9, 2009. Referred to the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law.
H.R.187 : This bill will allow nationals of Cuba coming to the United States to play organized professional baseball and to return to Cuba with the earnings from professional baseball.
Introduced by Representative Jose E. Serrano (NY-16) on January 6, 2009.
Last Major Action: February 9, 2009. Referred to the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law.
H.R.182 : This bill will provide immigration judges the discretionary authority to determine that a foreign national parent of a United States citizen child should not be ordered removed, deported, or excluded from the United States.
Introduced by Representative Jose E. Serrano (NY-16) on January 6, 2009.
Last Major Action: February 9, 2009. Referred to the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law.
H.R.150 : This bill will make Department of Homeland Security payments to any State contingent on that State compiling and reporting the immigration status and country of origin for every person arrested, charged with a crime, convicted of a crime or incarcerated for a crime to the FBI.
Introduced by Representative Walter B. Jones, Jr. (NC-3) on January 6, 2009.
Last Major Action: February 9, 2009. Referred to the House Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
H.R.144 : This bill will designate Haiti under section 244 of the Immigration and Nationality Act in order that nationals of Haiti are eligible for temporary protected status.
Introduced by Representative Alcee Hastings (FL-23) on January 6, 2009.
Last Major Action: February 9, 2009. Referred to the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law.
H.R.142 : This bill will require the Secretary of the Treasury to notify the Secretary of Homeland Security of employer tax returns showing unauthorized employment of foreign nationals, to notify the employers that they must terminate the illegal worker after providing an opportunity to contest the information, and to establish a procedure to determine such illegal employment.
Introduced by Representative Elton Gallegly (CA-24) on January 6, 2009.
Last Major Action: March 16, 2009. Referred to the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections.
H.R.138 : This bill will require federal contractors and subcontractors to participate in the basic pilot program for employment eligibility verification. All employees of the federal contractor or subcontractor will be subject to verification through this system whether or not they are working on the federal contract.
Introduced by Representative Elton Gallegly (CA-24) on January 6, 2009.
Last Major Action: March 16, 2009. Referred to the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections.
H.R.137 : This bill will require an employer to take action within 3 days after receiving official notice that an individual's Social Security account number does not match the individual's name. The employer shall have three days in which to verify the employee’s authorization to work and identity through a system established by the Department of Homeland Security in consultation with the Social Security Administration.
Introduced by Representative Elton Gallegly (CA-24) on January 6, 2009.
Last Major Action: March 16, 2009. Referred to the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections.
H.R.128 : This bill will provide new criminal consequences for persons who violate the Immigration laws. Any person who illegally reenters the United States after having been granted voluntary departure shall be imprisoned from 1 to 2 years. Persons who fail to depart the United States shall be imprisoned from 1 to 4 years. Persons who reenter the United States after having been removed shall be imprisoned for a period of either 3 to 10 years or 10 to 20 years.
Introduced by Representative Elton Gallegly (CA-24) on January 6, 2009.
Last Major Action: February 9, 2009. Referred to the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law.
H.R.126 : This bill will restrict U.S. citizenship at birth, requiring that those born in the United States acquire citizenship only if born to U.S. citizen or legal resident mothers.
Introduced by Representative Elton Gallegly (CA-24) on January 6, 2009.
Last Major Action: February 9, 2009. Referred to the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law.
H.R.125 : This bill will eliminate the immediate relative and special immigrant exceptions to the bars on adjustment of status of aliens who entered the United States illegally or who worked without authorization.
Introduced by Representative Elton Gallegly (CA-24) on January 6, 2009.
Last Major Action: February 9, 2009. Referred to the House Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law.
H.R.98 : This proposed bill will enforce restrictions on employment in the United States of illegal aliens through the use of encrypted machine-readable Social Security cards and an improved employment eligibility database. The improved database includes combined information from the Social Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security. The bill also provides increasing to $50,000 the penalty for each unauthorized worker hired, plus the cost of detaining and deporting each illegal worker.
Introduced by Representative David Dreir (CA-26) on January 6, 2009.
Last Major Action: March 16, 2009. Referred to the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections.
H.R. 19: This proposed bill will permanently require all employers (any person or entity) in the United States to conduct employment eligibility verification. The bill phases in the requirement over a period of seven years, beginning with employers of more than 10,000 individuals, then 5000, 1000, 500, 250, 100 in each successive year, finally in the 7th year applying to all employers that employ 1 or more persons.
Introduced by Representative Ken Calvert (CA-44) on January 6, 2009.
Last Major Action: March 6, 2009. Referred to the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections.
Senate Bills
S.815 : A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to exempt surviving spouses of United States citizens from the numerical limitations described in section 201 of such Act.
Introduced by Senator Bill Nelson (FL) on April 2, 2009.
Last Major Action: April 2, 2009. Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
S.729 : This bill is also known as the “American DREAM Act”. The bill will permit States to determine State residency for higher education purposes. The bill will also provide for cancellation of removal and adjustment of status of certain alien students who have been in the United States for a period of at least five years and who had entered the United States before the age of 16.
Introduced by Senator Richard Durbin (IL) on March 26, 2009.
Related Bill: H.R. 1751.
Last Major Action: March 26, 2009. Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
S.656 : This bill provides for the adjustment of status for certain nationals of Liberia.
Introduced by Senator Jack Reed (RI) on March 19, 2009.
Last Major Action: March 19, 2009. Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
S.577 : This bill provides criminal penalties for individuals who engage in schemes to defraud aliens.
Introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein (CA) on March 12, 2009.
Last Major Action: March 12, 2009. Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
S.424 : This bill will permit permanent partners of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents to obtain lawful permanent resident status and will penalize immigration fraud in connection with permanent partnerships.
Introduced by Senator Patrick J. Leahy (VT) on February 12, 2009.
Related Bill: H.R. 1024.
Last Major Action: February 12, 2009. Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
S.203 : This bill will modify the requirements for participation in the visa waiver program.
Introduced by Senator Dianne Feinstein (CA) on January 12, 2009.
Last Major Action: January 12, 2009. Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
S.115 : This bill will stop coverage under the old-age, survivors, and disability insurance program under the Social Security Act for any foreign national illegally in the United States.
Introduced by Senator David Vitter (LA) on January 6, 2009.
Last Major Action: January 6, 2009. Referred to the Committee on Finance.