H.R. 9710: Third World Immigration Moratorium Act

This bill would bar most people who are nationals of a long list of countries from entering the United States. It applies to nationals of countries named in the bill, including Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Togo, Venezuela, Burkina Faso, Laos, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Syria, Angola, Antigua, Barbuda, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. It also bars people who have travel documents issued by the Palestinian Authority.

The ban would apply only to people who are outside the United States when the bill becomes law and who do not already have a valid visa on that date. It would not apply to:

• lawful permanent residents
• dual nationals, if they also hold nationality from a country not on the list
• certain government or diplomatic travelers
• athletes, team members, coaches, support staff, and immediate family traveling for events like the World Cup or Olympics, if the Secretary of State allows it
• certain special immigrant visa holders
• people receiving immigrant visas related to ethnic or religious persecution in Iran

The bill would also let the Secretary of Homeland Security, working with the Secretary of State and the Attorney General, waive the ban case by case if doing so would serve a critical national interest. The bill specifically mentions allowing entry when someone needs to come to the United States to participate in criminal proceedings as a witness.

Within 180 days after enactment, and every 180 days after that, the Secretary of State would have to report to Congress on whether the ban should continue, be ended, changed, or expanded, and also report on any exceptions that were granted.

Relevant Companies

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