H.R. 4596: McCarran-Walter Technical Corrections Act

This bill, titled the McCarran-Walter Technical Corrections Act, proposes amendments to the Immigration and Nationality Act to clarify and expand the rights of certain individuals at the U.S. border.

Primary Changes

The bill specifically addresses members of federally recognized Indian Tribes in the United States and individuals from First Nations in Canada. Here are the key changes it proposes:

• It modifies existing law to define eligible individuals as those who are either members of federally recognized Indian Tribes or those who have Indian status in Canada or belong to a self-governing First Nation in Canada.
• It removes the previous criteria that required individuals to possess at least 50 percent blood quantum of the American Indian race in order to cross the border.
• Individuals admitted to the U.S. under these criteria would be granted permanent resident status.

Implications

The changes aim to simplify border crossing for qualified individuals, ensuring that membership in a Tribe or First Nation is the primary factor for crossing the U.S. border, rather than blood quantum. This could result in a more inclusive approach to recognizing the rights of indigenous individuals in both the U.S. and Canada.

Relevant Companies

None found