To protect certain victims of human trafficking by expanding the authority of the Secretary of Homeland Security to grant such aliens continued presence in the United States.
The Continued Presence Improvement Act expands protections for human trafficking victims by giving the Department of Homeland Security broader authority to allow trafficking victims to stay in the United States. The bill increases the minimum period of continued presence from the current standard to at least two years, with extensions available if the victim has pending immigration benefits, and automatically grants trafficking victims work permits during their stay. The legislation also protects trafficking victims from immigration enforcement actions based on conduct before their continued presence was granted, unless law enforcement consults with the official who approved their status. Additionally, the bill allows law enforcement to request deferred action and work authorization for family members of trafficking victims and requires federal agencies including Labor, State Department, and Health and Human Services to develop policies and training materials to encourage the prompt use of continued presence for trafficking victims. The bill does not specify funding amounts or appropriations but requires the Department of Homeland Security to issue new regulations implementing these changes.
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