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S 271 116th Congress Senate Immigration Border security and unlawful immigration Family relationships Immigration status and procedures Refugees, asylum, displaced persons

Families Belong Together Act

Introduced: January 30, 2019 Introduced by: Blumenthal, Richard Democratic · Connecticut See on congress.gov
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This bill died when the 116th Congress ended
It never became law before the 116th Congress (2019–2020) 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 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jan 30, 2019
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
Jan 30, 2019
Introduced in Senate
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Families Belong Together Act

This bill grants lawful permanent resident status to certain aliens who were separated from immediate family members by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Children and their legal guardians or parents shall be eligible if  DHS separated them and failed to demonstrate in a hearing that the legal guardian or parent was unfit or presented a danger to the child. Such a child shall be eligible whether he or she remained in the custody of  DHS or the Office of Refugee Settlement, was released to a sponsor, or repatriated to his or her country of origin.

Individuals who are inadmissible for various grounds, including those related to criminal activity or security concerns, shall not be eligible.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services shall grant all applications from eligible individuals for humanitarian parole or for lawful permanent resident status, and no application fees may be charged.

What's happening now January 30, 2019

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

 Related & companion bills 1
  • HR 883 Identical bill Families Belong Together Act
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 271: Families Belong Together Act. 116th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-271/
MLA
"S. 271: Families Belong Together Act." 116th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-271/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 271, 116th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-271/.
Markdown link
[S. 271: Families Belong Together Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/116-S-271/)
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