# End Unaccountable Amnesty Act: Plain Language Summary

This bill would require Congress to approve any immigration amnesty or mass pardon programs before they can take effect. Right now, the President can use executive authority to defer deportations or grant temporary legal status to groups of undocumented immigrants without getting specific approval from Congress. This bill changes that by saying the President cannot implement any amnesty program affecting more than a certain number of people unless Congress votes on it first and passes it into law.

The bill essentially takes away the President's ability to unilaterally create broad immigration relief programs. For example, if a President wanted to allow a large group of undocumented immigrants to stay and work legally, they would first have to get Congress to vote and approve it. This applies to any program that would affect a significant number of people—the bill sets a threshold, meaning even smaller programs might require congressional approval depending on how many people they impact.

Who this affects depends on your perspective. Undocumented immigrants and their families could be affected because it makes it harder for the President to grant them legal status without Congress acting. Immigration advocates worry this makes relief programs less likely since Congress often has difficulty passing immigration bills. On the other hand, people who want stricter immigration enforcement support this because it prevents what they see as executive overreach and gives Congress more control over immigration policy. Employers who rely on immigrant workers could also be affected if relief programs become harder to implement.

The practical impact is that immigration policy would shift more power to Congress and away from the President's executive branch. This could mean fewer surprise amnesty programs, but it could also mean that immigration relief becomes even more difficult to achieve since Congress would need to vote on every major program.

End Unaccountable Amnesty Act

Banks, Jim

End Unaccountable Amnesty ActThis bill revises, restricts, and repeals various laws and programs addressing the admissibility and deportability of certain non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law). The bill includes changes to the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program, the treatment of unaccompanied children, and removal proceedings.Under current law, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may grant a foreign state Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which protects qualified nationals of that foreign state from removal from the United States. The bill instead requires an act of Congress to grant TPS to a foreign state. The bill limits TPS status to 12 months, subject to extension.The bill also generally requires the return of unaccompanied inadmissible children to their country of nationality or last habitual residence, among other changes. Under current law,&nbsp;DHS is authorized (not required) to return these children, and only if their country of nationality or last habitual residence is contiguous to the United States.The bill also repeals the law allowing for the cancellation of removal or adjustment of the immigration status of qualifying&nbsp;non-U.S. nationals.&nbsp;Under the bill, certain forms of identification, including a Notice to Appear issued by&nbsp;DHS, are no longer valid documents for purposes of airport security checkpoints.The bill also limits the ability of&nbsp;DHS to grant parole (temporary admission granted on a case-by-case basis). For example, the bill limits the granting of parole to a list of specific situations, such as the imminent death of a close family member.