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HR 709 117th Congress House

Border Crisis Prevention Act of 2021

Official title: To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to reform certain asylum procedures, and for other purposes.

Introduced: April 12, 2021 See on congress.gov
Immigration Administrative law and regulatory proceduresAdministrative remediesBorder security and unlawful immigrationCriminal justice information and records
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Criminal procedure and sentencingDepartment of Homeland SecurityDepartment of JusticeDetention of personsDiplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroadForeign language and bilingual programsFraud offenses and financial crimesGovernment employee pay, benefits, personnel managementGovernment information and archivesHomeland securityImmigrant health and welfareImmigration status and proceduresInfectious and parasitic diseasesInternet and video servicesInternet, web applications, social mediaJudgesMental healthRefugees, asylum, displaced personsSound recordingViolent crime
This bill died when the 117th Congress ended
It never became law before the 117th Congress (2021–2022) 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 22, 2021
Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.
Feb 2, 2021
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Feb 2, 2021
Introduced in House
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 Latest action March 22, 2021

Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Border Crisis Prevention Act of 2021

This bill imposes additional requirements on asylum seekers, increases certain time limits related to detained aliens, and addresses other immigration-related issues.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must detain certain aliens, such as an alien convicted of an aggravated felony or believed to be a trafficker of controlled substances, beyond certain time limits for detaining an alien.

The bill also provides for additional instances when DHS may extend the 90-day removal period (generally the window in which DHS has to remove an alien after a final order of removal). An alien choosing to appeal mandatory detention or detention as part of a removal period extension may do so only by filing for a writ of habeas corpus.

DHS shall establish a process to determine whether an alien not subject to mandatory detention and who has tried to comply with a removal order should be detained or released with conditions.

Furthermore, under this bill, an alien's credible fear of persecution must be more probable than not in order to be eligible for asylum.

DHS may also deny asylum to an applying alien and remove the alien to a country that is not the alien's country of nationality, if the alien would be safe and would be able to apply for asylum from that country. (Currently, an asylum applicant may be removed to a third country only if that country is party to an agreement allowing for such removal.)

The Department of Justice may appoint 100 additional immigration judges.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 709: Border Crisis Prevention Act of 2021. 117th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-709/
MLA
"H.R. 709: Border Crisis Prevention Act of 2021." 117th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-709/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 709, 117th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-709/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 709: Border Crisis Prevention Act of 2021](https://openamerica.io/bill/117-HR-709/)
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