American Families United Act
Latest action · Jul 27, 2022 Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 23 - 16.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedApr 30, 2021
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
American Families United Act
This bill authorizes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or the Department of Justice (DOJ) to exercise discretion in certain immigration cases. The bill also removes certain requirements related to birthright citizenship.
Under this bill, DOJ or DHS may, on a case-by-case basis, exercise discretion by declining to remove an alien or bar an alien from entering the United States to prevent hardship for the alien's U.S. citizen spouse, parent, or child. However, DOJ or DHS may not exercise this discretion if the alien is removable or inadmissible due to certain grounds, including specified crime- and security-related grounds.
The bill also removes certain requirements related to birthright citizenship for a child born outside of the United States to one U.S. citizen parent and one alien parent. Specifically, the bill removes a provision that requires the U.S. citizen parent to be physically present in the United States for at least five years before the child's birth in order for the child to acquire U.S. citizenship at birth.
Cosponsors 80
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Apr 30, 2021 to Sep 20, 2022; 1 is an original cosponsor, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-CA | David G. Valadao | Original | Apr 30, 2021 |
| D-CA | Juan Vargas | May 14, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Tony Cárdenas | May 14, 2021 | |
| D-NY | Mondaire Jones | May 25, 2021 | |
| D-TX | Marc A. Veasey | Jun 16, 2021 | |
| D-NC | Deborah K. Ross | Jun 24, 2021 | |
| D-DC | Eleanor Holmes Norton | Jun 24, 2021 | |
| D-MN | Ilhan Omar | Jun 24, 2021 | |
| D-GA | Nikema Williams | Jun 24, 2021 | |
| D-TX | Al Green | Jul 1, 2021 | |
| D-CO | Joe Neguse | Jul 1, 2021 | |
| D-PA | Mary Gay Scanlon | Jul 9, 2021 | |
| D-CA | Sara Jacobs | Jul 9, 2021 | |
| D-MD | Anthony G. Brown | Jul 13, 2021 | |
| D-TX | Colin Z. Allred | Jul 16, 2021 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Judiciary Committee | Referred Apr 30, 2021Markup Jul 27, 2022 |
| Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement Subcommittee | Referred Nov 9, 2021Discharged Jul 27, 2022 |
Actions 6
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jul 27, 2022Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship Discharged.
- Jul 27, 2022Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Jul 27, 2022Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 23 - 16.
- Nov 9, 2021Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.
- Apr 30, 2021Introduced in House
- Apr 30, 2021Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the Congressional Record, vol. 167, no. 75, April 30, 2021, page H2135.
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R47061 | Immigration Legislation and Issues in the 117th Congress | Report | Oct 21, 2022 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to promote family unity, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- American Families United Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Immigration.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Apr 30, 2021Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
