,,ii  #aadth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,s4 #bgjh  ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of     
,,the ,,united ,,states  ,march #ag1    
#bjaf,mr4 ,cotton introduced the        
following bill2 which was read twice and
 referred to the ,committee on the      
,judiciary  ,a ,,bill  ,to provide for  
the admission to the ,united ,states of 
up to #aj1jjj ,syrian religious         
minorities as refugees of special       
humanitarian concern in each of the     
fiscal years #bjaf through #bjbj4  #a4  
,short title ,this ,act may be cited as 
the ,religious ,persecution ,relief     
,act4  #b4 ,united ,states refugee      
program processing priorities  7a7      
,classification of ,syrian religious    
minorities ,syrian nationals who are    
religious minorities in their country of
 origin 7as described in section        
#eii;,d7b77#a77;,d7 of the ,foreign     
,operations1 ,export ,financing1 and    
,related ,programs ,appropriations ,act1
 #aiij7 7,public ,law #aja-afg2 #h      
,u4,s4,c4 #aaeg note7--  7#a7 shall be  

classified as refugees of special       
humanitarian concern2  7#b7 shall be    
eligible for ,priority #b processing    
under the refugee resettlement priority 
system2 and  7#c7 may apply directly to 
the ,united ,states ,refugee ,admissions
 ,program for admission to the ,united  
,states4  7b7 ,processing mechanisms    
,the ,secretary of ,state1 in           
consultation with the ,secretary of     
,homeland ,security1 shall establish or 
use existing refugee processing         
mechanisms in countries in which        
individuals described in subsection 7a7 
are residing to provide such individuals
 with the opportunity to apply and      
interview for admission to the ,united  
,states as refugees4  #c4 ,annual       
refugee resettlement quota ,section     
#bjg7;b7 of the ,immigration and        
,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4         
#aaeg7;b77 is amended-- 7#a7 by striking
 ,if the ,president and inserting the   
following3  7#a7 ,in general ,if the    
,president  2 and  7#b7 by adding at the

 end the following3  7#b7 ,syrian       
religious minorities ,in addition to the
 number of refugees authorized to be    
admitted to the ,united ,states under   
paragraph 7#a7 and subsection 7a71 there
 are authorized to be admitted up to    
#aj1jjj aliens described in section     
#eii;,d7b77#a77;,d7 of the ,foreign     
,operations1 ,export ,financing1 and    
,related ,programs ,appropriations ,act1
 #aiij 7,public ,law #aja-afg2 #h       
,u4,s4,c4 #aaeg note7 for each of the   
fiscal years #bjaf through #bjbj4  4    
#d4 ,establishment of new category of   
refugee of special humanitarian concern 
,section #eii;,d of the ,foreign        
,operations1 ,export ,financing1 and    
,related ,programs ,appropriations ,act1
 #aiij 7,public ,law #aja-afg2 #h       
,u4,s4,c4 #aaeg note7 is amended--  7#a7
 in subsection 7b77#a7-- 7,a7 in        
subparagraph 7,b71 by striking and at   
the end2  7,b7 in subparagraph 7,c71 by 
striking the period at the end and      
inserting 2 and2 and  7,c7 by adding at 

the end the following3  7,d7 one or more
 categories of aliens who-- 7i7 are or  
were nationals and residents of the     
,syrian ,arab ,republic2  7ii7 as       
members of a religious minority in      
,syria1 share common characteristics    
that identify them as targets of        
persecution in that state on account of 
religion1 creed1 or ethnicity2 and      
7iii7 have been underrepresented in the 
,united ,states refugee resettlement    
program during the #e-year period ending
 on ,september #cj1 #bjae1 when compared
 to their representation in the ,syrian 
population as a whole4  2 and  7#b7 in  
subsection 7e7-- 7,a7 in paragraph 7#a71
 by striking ,subsections 7a7 and 7b7   
and inserting ,except as provided in    
paragraph 7#d71 subsections 7a7 and 7b72
 and  7,b7 by adding at the end the     
following3  7#d7 ,an alien described in 
subsection 7b77#a77;,d7 may establish a 
well-founded fear of persecution under  
subsection 7a7 by asserting such fear in
 an application for admission as a      

refugee under section #bjg of the       
,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h  
,u4,s4,c4 #aaeg7 that is filed during   
the period beginning on the date of the 
enactment of this section and ending on 
,september #cj1 #bjbj4  4