SECURE Act
Latest action · Jun 13, 2023 Star Print ordered on the bill.
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.
- IntroducedMay 18, 2023
- Passed SenateNot reached
- Passed HouseNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Safe Environment from Countries Under Repression and Emergency Act or the SECURE Act
This bill allows qualified nationals of a country that has or had a temporary protected status designation to obtain lawful permanent residence (sometimes referred to as a green card).
To qualify for a green card, such an individual must (1) have or had temporary protected status, (2) have qualified for such status on certain dates, or (3) have been present in the United States due to having been granted deferred enforced departure status that extended past a certain date. Furthermore, the individual must (1) have been continuously present in the United States for three years before applying for a green card or before being removed after a certain date, (2) not be inadmissible or deportable for certain reasons, and (3) pass applicable background checks.
The continuous presence requirement may be waived in certain instances.
Such an individual's spouse, domestic partner, child, or unmarried child may also obtain a green card under this bill upon meeting certain requirements.
An individual with a pending application shall receive work authorization and be eligible for travel authorization.
An individual may not be removed if the individual (1) has a pending application, or (2) is prima facie eligible for a green card under this bill and intends to apply.
Information from applications may not be used or shared for immigration enforcement, with limited exceptions such as for identifying fraudulent claims.
Cosponsors 28
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from May 18, 2023 to Jul 13, 2023; 27 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Alex Padilla | Original | May 18, 2023 |
| D-MN | Amy Klobuchar | Original | May 18, 2023 |
| D-MD | Benjamin L. Cardin | Original | May 18, 2023 |
| I-VT | Bernard Sanders | Original | May 18, 2023 |
| D-HI | Brian Schatz | Original | May 18, 2023 |
| D-NV | Catherine Cortez Masto | Original | May 18, 2023 |
| D-DE | Christopher A. Coons | Original | May 18, 2023 |
| D-NJ | Cory A. Booker | Original | May 18, 2023 |
| D-CA | Dianne Feinstein | Original | May 18, 2023 |
| D-MA | Edward J. Markey | Original | May 18, 2023 |
| D-MA | Elizabeth Warren | Original | May 18, 2023 |
| D-RI | Jack Reed | Original | May 18, 2023 |
| D-NV | Jacky Rosen | Original | May 18, 2023 |
| D-CO | John W. Hickenlooper | Original | May 18, 2023 |
| D-NY | Kirsten E. Gillibrand | Original | May 18, 2023 |
| D-VA | Mark R. Warner | Original | May 18, 2023 |
| D-HI | Mazie K. Hirono | Original | May 18, 2023 |
| D-CO | Michael F. Bennet | Original | May 18, 2023 |
| D-WA | Patty Murray | Original | May 18, 2023 |
| D-CT | Richard Blumenthal | Original | May 18, 2023 |
| D-IL | Richard J. Durbin | Original | May 18, 2023 |
| D-OR | Ron Wyden | Original | May 18, 2023 |
| D-RI | Sheldon Whitehouse | Original | May 18, 2023 |
| D-OH | Sherrod Brown | Original | May 18, 2023 |
| D-IL | Tammy Duckworth | Original | May 18, 2023 |
| D-VA | Tim Kaine | Original | May 18, 2023 |
| D-MN | Tina Smith | Original | May 18, 2023 |
| D-PA | Robert P. Casey Jr. | Jul 13, 2023 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| Senate | Judiciary Committee | Referred May 18, 2023 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Jun 13, 2023Star Print ordered on the bill.
- May 18, 2023Introduced in Senate
- May 18, 2023Read twice and referred to the 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| RS20844 | Temporary Protected Status and Deferred Enforced Departure | Report | Aug 28, 2025 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 306 | SECURE Act | Reintroduction of | Feb 8, 2021 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- A bill to provide a process for granting lawful permanent resident status to aliens from certain countries who meet specified eligibility requirements, and for other purposes.
- Short Title(s) as Introduced
- Safe Environment from Countries Under Repression and Emergency Act
- SECURE Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Immigration.
- Administrative law and regulatory procedures
- Border security and unlawful immigration
- Congressional oversight
- Department of Homeland Security
- Foreign labor
- Government information and archives
- Immigration
- Immigration status and procedures
- Refugees, asylum, displaced persons
- Right of privacy
- User charges and fees
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- May 18, 2023Introduced in Senate
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.
