“To designate residents of South Africa as Priority 2 refugees of special humanitarian concern, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section designates as Priority 2 refugees of special humanitarian concern (i.e., groups eligible for the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program without individual referral) residents of South Africa who are members of the Caucasian minority group and have suffered persecution, or have a well-founded fear of persecution, on account of race, ethnicity, or ancestry, as well as their spouses, children, and parents (as defined in INA §101(a) and (b), except such parents who are citizens of a country other than South Africa). It authorizes processing of such individuals for refugee status in South Africa or a third country; prohibits denial of the opportunity to apply primarily due to eligibility as an immediate relative of a U.S. citizen or under another immigrant classification; and prohibits denial of admission primarily based on politically motivated arrest, detention, or other adverse government action due to the applicant's race, ethnicity, or ancestry. Aliens granted such status are excluded from numerical limitations under INA §§201, 202, 203, or 207 and are deemed to satisfy admission requirements under INA §207. The Secretaries of State and Homeland Security must submit reports to specified congressional committees 180 days after enactment and every 90 days thereafter detailing pending applications, average wait times for employment verification, prescreening interviews, USCIS interviews, and security checks, and denial numbers disaggregated by reason (in unclassified form with possible classified annex, publicly available on the Department of State website).