S. 2953 — Introduced in Senate

II 113th CONGRESS 2d Session S. 2953 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES November 20, 2014 Mr. Rubio (for himself, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Thune, and Mr. Kirk) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary A BILL To prohibit an alien who is a national of a country with a widespread Ebola virus outbreak from obtaining a visa and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Keeping America Safe from Ebola Act of 2014. 2. Definitions In this Act: (1) Covered alien The term covered alien means an alien— (A) who is— (i) a national of a designated country; or (ii) a resident of a designated country; and (B) whose last habitual residence, or last habitual residence prior to residence in the United States if the alien is seeking to reenter the United States, was a designated country. (2) Designated country The term designated country means a country that the Director has designated as a country with widespread transmission of the Ebola virus. (3) Director The term Director means the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (4) United States The term United States has the meaning given that term in section 101(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)). 3. Temporary ban on visas for residents of countries with widespread transmission of the Ebola virus (a) In general (1) Ineligibility for visas A covered alien is ineligible to receive a visa from the Secretary of State or otherwise be admitted to the United States. (2) Ineligibility to enter (A) In general A covered alien is ineligible to enter the United States if the alien was lawfully present in the United States, departed the United States and visited a designated country, and is seeking to reenter the United States. (B) Revocation of visa Beginning on the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State shall revoke the visa of each covered alien described in subparagraph (A). (b) Exception for aid workers Subsection (a) shall not apply to an individual who is authorized by the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development to travel to or reside in a designated country to provide assistance related to the Ebola outbreak. (c) Exception for national security Subsection (a) shall not apply to an individual who is authorized by the Secretary of Defense to travel to the United States for necessary training. (d) Construction Subsection (a) shall not be construed to require the Secretary of State or the Secretary of Homeland Security to revoke the visa of a covered alien who— (1) is lawfully present in the United States pursuant to that visa; and (2) does not depart the United States during the term of that visa. 4. Reports Not later than 30 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 30 days thereafter during the period the provisions of this Act are in effect, the President shall submit to Congress a report on the spread of the Ebola virus. Each such report shall include— (1) the status of the Ebola virus outbreak in each designated country and the progress made since the last reporting period to contain the outbreak; (2) a description of the United States assistance to each designated country to combat the Ebola virus and any changes made to levels of assistance as a result of the evolving situation since the last report; and (3) the reasons that a complete ban on travel to and from designated countries would not be in the national interest of the United States. 5. Effective period The provisions of this Act shall be in effect until the date that is 60 days after the date the Director certifies that there are no longer any designated countries.