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HR 1153 114th Congress House

Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act of 2015

Official title: To modify the treatment of unaccompanied alien children who are in Federal custody by reason of their immigration status, and for other purposes.

Introduced: February 27, 2015 See on congress.gov
Immigration Administrative law and regulatory proceduresAdministrative remediesBorder security and unlawful immigrationChild care and development
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Child safety and welfareCongressional oversightDepartment of Homeland SecurityElementary and secondary educationEmergency medical services and trauma careEvidence and witnessesFamily relationshipsForeign aid and international reliefGovernment employee pay, benefits, personnel managementGovernment information and archivesGovernment studies and investigationsHuman rightsImmigration status and proceduresJudgesJudicial procedure and administrationLawyers and legal servicesOrgan and tissue donation and transplantationRacial and ethnic relationsRefugees, asylum, displaced personsReligionSanctionsViolent crimeVisas and passportsWar crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity
This bill died when the 114th Congress ended
It never became law before the 114th Congress (2015–2016) 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 7 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Mar 18, 2015
Ordered to be Reported by the Yeas and Nays: 21 - 12.
Mar 18, 2015
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Mar 4, 2015
Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
Mar 3, 2015
Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security Discharged.
Mar 2, 2015
Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security.
Feb 27, 2015
Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Feb 27, 2015
Introduced in House
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 Latest action March 18, 2015

Ordered to be Reported by the Yeas and Nays: 21 - 12.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act of 2015

Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit the government from bearing any expense of counsel for any person in a removal or related appeal proceedings.

Adds an additional requirement in order to establish a credible fear of persecution claim in an asylum interview.

Limits humanitarian and public interest parole authority.

Prohibits the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) from using parole authority for an alien who is ineligible for refugee status.

Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to revise the definition of "unaccompanied alien child" (UAC).

Amends the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to extend the period of time for a federal department or agency to: (1) notify the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that it has apprehended or discovered a UAC or an alien who is under 18 years old, and (2) transfer a UAC to HHS custody.

Provides for HHS-DHS information sharing concerning UACs.

Prohibits aUAC from applying for asylum if such child may be removed to a safe third country.

Provides for additional immigration judges and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement attorneys.

Directs the Secretary of State to suspend all foreign assistance to certain countries that refuse to: (1) negotiate a child repatriation agreement, or (2) accept from the United States repatriated UACs who are nationals or residents of the sending country.

Directs the Secretary of State to provide certain foreign assistance for repatriation and reintegration purposes.

Places the burden of proof on an an alien to establish that: (1) the alien's life or freedom would be threatened in a country to which he or she is scheduled to be removed to from the United States; and (2) that race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion would be at least one central reason for such threat.

Makes inadmissible an alien who has committed acts of torture, extrajudicial killings, war crimes, systematic attacks on civilians, persecution, or enforced disappearance of persons. Authorizes the President to make such alien's visa records public.

Terminates the refugee or asylee status of an alien who:

  • without a compelling reason returns to the country of such alien's nationality or, in the case of an alien having no nationality, returns to the country in which such alien last habitually resided; and
  • applied for such status because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.

Makes such provision inapplicable to an alien who is eligible for adjustment to lawful permanent resident status pursuant to the Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966.

Allows up to 500 grants of asylum per fiscal year to families fleeing home school persecution.

Requires that a written warning be included in an asylum application advising the alien of the consequences of filing a frivolous application.

States that if an alien's asylum status is subject to termination the immigration judge shall first determine whether the termination conditions have been met, and if so, terminate the alien's asylum status before considering whether the alien is eligible for adjustment of status.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 3
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 1153: Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act of 2015. 114th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-1153/
MLA
"H.R. 1153: Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act of 2015." 114th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-1153/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 1153, 114th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-1153/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 1153: Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act of 2015](https://openamerica.io/bill/114-HR-1153/)
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