S. 959: Secure and Protect Act of 2021
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S. 959: Secure and Protect Act of 2021
117th Congress · introduced 2021-03-24 · Immigration · Latest: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
federal
Follow this bill, step by step
- Where it came from: introduced 2021-03-24 · official record
- Who proposed it: Sen. Graham, Lindsey [R-SC] · what a sponsor is
- What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
- Where it stands now: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
- If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.
Official title
Secure and Protect Act of 2021
Plain summary
Secure and Protect Act of 2021 This bill makes changes to the handling of unaccompanied alien children and asylum applications. The Flores settlement (a court settlement imposing conditions on the treatment of detained alien minors) shall not restrict any activities. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall have sole discretion as to detention standards of alien minors. Statutory provisions governing the handling of unaccompanied alien children from U.S.-bordering countries shall now govern all unaccompanied alien children. The bill provides for requirements relating to the handling of such alien children. Certain immigration officer determinations relating to unaccompanied alien children shall be unreviewable. DHS may detain accompanied alien children pending the completion of removal proceedings (some courts have ruled that Flores limits the detention of certain alien children to 20 days). States may not impose licensing requirements for family detention facilities. An unaccompanied alien child shall not be released from custody while immigration or removal proceedings are pending, with some exceptions. The bill limits asylum eligibility to aliens entering the United States at a designated port of entry and provides for additional grounds for asylum ineligibility. A credible fear of persecution is redefined to mean that it is more likely than not that the alien would be able to establish eligibility for asylum. The Department of State shall establish refugee application and processing centers in Mexico and Central America. The bill requires the hiring of additional immigration judges, support staff, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement attorneys.
Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.
What a vote does
A “Yea” vote
If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.
A “Nay” vote
If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.
PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).
What does this mean? (plain words)
Official text
Secure and Protect Act of 2021
Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
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Alternatives
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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes
Officials and money
Sponsor: Sen. Graham, Lindsey [R-SC] · 2 cosponsors
Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.
Cosponsors on this site
Thom Tillis (R-NC), John Barrasso (R-WY)
No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.
Words on this page, explained (3)
- Bill
- A proposed law. It becomes law only if it passes the legislature and is signed by the president or governor (or a veto is overridden).
- Securities
- Financial investments that can be bought and sold, such as stocks and bonds.
- Statute
- A written law passed by a legislature. A statute can be changed by a later law; changing a constitution needs an amendment.
Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.
Sources
- Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
- Congress.gov
- Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-117s959.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/117/s>
Record fed-us-cong117-s959 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong117 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong117