The "Safe Environment from Countries Under Repression and Emergency Act," or SECURE Act, aims to provide a process for certain foreign nationals to obtain lawful permanent resident (LPR) status . This pathway is available to individuals who are nationals of countries previously or currently designated for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), or who qualified for TPS, or were present under Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) after September 28, 2016. To be eligible, applicants must demonstrate continuous physical presence in the United States for at least three years and successfully pass all applicable criminal and national security background checks. The application process includes a reasonable fee, with exemptions for minors, low-income individuals, those in foster care, or those with severe disabilities. Notably, applicants with prior removal or voluntary departure orders are not required to file a motion to reopen such orders; approval of their LPR application will cancel these orders. While an application is pending, aliens are protected by a stay of removal and are authorized to work in the United States, also becoming eligible to apply for advance parole. The bill extends eligibility for LPR status to certain family members, including the spouse, domestic partner, child, or unmarried son or daughter of an alien whose status has been adjusted under this act. Unmarried sons and daughters must demonstrate at least one year of continuous physical presence in the U.S. A crucial provision ensures the confidentiality of application information, prohibiting its use for immigration enforcement, with limited exceptions for fraud prevention, national security, or investigation of non-immigration felonies. Furthermore, the SECURE Act amends the process for terminating a country's TPS designation, requiring the Secretary of Homeland Security to submit a detailed report to Congress. This report must include an explanation of the initial designation, the country's progress in remedying the conditions, and an analysis of its ability to repatriate its nationals, including financial capacity and political stability. Aliens whose status is adjusted under this act are exempt from numerical immigration limitations, and TPS recipients are clarified as having been "inspected and admitted" into the United States.
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Immigration
SECURE Act
USA119th CongressS-2106| Senate
| Updated: 6/18/2025
The "Safe Environment from Countries Under Repression and Emergency Act," or SECURE Act, aims to provide a process for certain foreign nationals to obtain lawful permanent resident (LPR) status . This pathway is available to individuals who are nationals of countries previously or currently designated for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), or who qualified for TPS, or were present under Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) after September 28, 2016. To be eligible, applicants must demonstrate continuous physical presence in the United States for at least three years and successfully pass all applicable criminal and national security background checks. The application process includes a reasonable fee, with exemptions for minors, low-income individuals, those in foster care, or those with severe disabilities. Notably, applicants with prior removal or voluntary departure orders are not required to file a motion to reopen such orders; approval of their LPR application will cancel these orders. While an application is pending, aliens are protected by a stay of removal and are authorized to work in the United States, also becoming eligible to apply for advance parole. The bill extends eligibility for LPR status to certain family members, including the spouse, domestic partner, child, or unmarried son or daughter of an alien whose status has been adjusted under this act. Unmarried sons and daughters must demonstrate at least one year of continuous physical presence in the U.S. A crucial provision ensures the confidentiality of application information, prohibiting its use for immigration enforcement, with limited exceptions for fraud prevention, national security, or investigation of non-immigration felonies. Furthermore, the SECURE Act amends the process for terminating a country's TPS designation, requiring the Secretary of Homeland Security to submit a detailed report to Congress. This report must include an explanation of the initial designation, the country's progress in remedying the conditions, and an analysis of its ability to repatriate its nationals, including financial capacity and political stability. Aliens whose status is adjusted under this act are exempt from numerical immigration limitations, and TPS recipients are clarified as having been "inspected and admitted" into the United States.