Skip to main content
S 1722 117th Congress Senate Immigration Espionage and treason Family relationships Immigration status and procedures Subversive activities Technology transfer and commercialization Trade restrictions

Protecting America From Spies Act

Introduced: May 19, 2021 Introduced by: Cruz, Ted Republican · Texas See on congress.gov
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
May 19, 2021
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
May 19, 2021
Introduced in Senate
 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Protecting America From Spies Act

This bill expands the grounds for barring aliens who have engaged in acts relating to espionage or sabotage from entering the United States.

Specifically, any alien shall be inadmissible if the alien has engaged in or will engage in an act that (1) violates a U.S. law relating to espionage or sabotage; (2) would violate any U.S. law relating to espionage or sabotage if it occurred in the United States; or (3) violates any U.S. law prohibiting the export of goods, technology, or sensitive information. Currently, an alien shall be inadmissible if the alien seeks to enter the United States to engage in such an action.

Furthermore, the bill expands these grounds of inadmissibility and other security-related grounds to cover the spouse or child of the barred alien if the act occurred in the last five years.

The bill also modifies the authority of the Department of Justice to waive certain security-related grounds of inadmissibility for an alien applying for a nonimmigrant visa.

What's happening now May 19, 2021

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1