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S 644 109th Congress Senate

Widows and Orphans Act of 2005

Official title: A bill to establish new special immigrant categories, and for other purposes.

Introduced: March 16, 2005 See on congress.gov
Immigration Administrative procedureAdministrative remediesAliensArmed Forces and National Security
More subjectsShow fewer subjects
Child safetyCivil Rights and Liberties, Minority IssuesCongressCongressional reporting requirementsCrime and Law EnforcementCriminal aliensData banksDepartment of Homeland SecurityFamiliesFingerprintsGovernment Operations and PoliticsHuman rightsIdentification devicesImmigrantsInternational Affairs
This bill died when the 109th Congress ended
It never became law before the 109th Congress (2005–2006) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Mar 16, 2005
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Mar 16, 2005
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S2854)
Mar 16, 2005
Introduced in Senate
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 Latest action March 16, 2005

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Widows and Orphans Act of 2005 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to create a new special immigrant visa category N for certain alien minors and females referred by a U.S. Government agency who have a credible fear of harm due to age or sex and who lack adequate protection.

States that special immigrant status for such individuals shall be adjudicated within 45 days and that, if granted, the alien shall be paroled into the United States and allowed to apply for adjustment of status within one year of arrival.

Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to report to specified congressional committees on progress toward implementing the N visa provisions of this Act.

Bars an alien's admission into the United States until a search of each database maintained by a Federal agency or department has been conducted to determine whether the alien is ineligible for admission on criminal, security, or related grounds. Requires aliens to be fingerprinted and to submit such fingerprints and other required biometric data to the Secretary within 30 days of entry. Requires completion of database searches within 180 days of entry.

Authorizes administrative review of a determination that an alien is ineligible for admission on criminal, security, or related grounds based on a database search. Precludes judicial review of such determinations.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 644: Widows and Orphans Act of 2005. 109th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/109-S-644/
MLA
"S. 644: Widows and Orphans Act of 2005." 109th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/109-S-644/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 644, 109th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/109-S-644/.
Markdown link
[S. 644: Widows and Orphans Act of 2005](https://openamerica.io/bill/109-S-644/)
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