,i #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #cgge ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,july #af1 #bjai,mr4 ,brown of ,maryland 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,espaillat1 ,mr4 ,johnson of ,georgia1 ,mr4 ,mc,govern1 ,ms4 ,norton1 ,mr4 ,rush1 ,mr4 ,soto1 and ,mr4 ,vargas7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on the ,judiciary ,a ,,bill ,to increase legal representation for certain aliens1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,equal ,justice for ,immigrants ,act of #bjai4 #b4 ,vulnerable population defined ,in this ,act1 the term vulnerable population means1 with respect to an alien1 that the alien-- 7#a7 is an asylum seeker or victim of torture or trafficking2 7#b7 has special religious1 cultural1 or spiritual considerations2 7#c7 is pregnant or nursing2 7#d7 is younger than #ba years of age or older than #fj years of age2 7#e7 identifies as gay1 lesbian1 bisexual1 transgender1 or intersex2 7#f7 is a victim or witness of a crime2 7#g7 has a mental disorder or physical disability2 7#h7 is incapable of filling out forms in ,english2 or 7#i7 has been determined by an immigration judge or the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security to be experiencing severe trauma or to be a survivor of torture or gender-based violence1 based on information obtained during intake1 from the individual's attorney or legal services provider1 or through credible self-reporting4 ,i ,amendments to the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act #aja4 ,migrant ,protection ,protocols 7a7 ,treatment of aliens arriving from contiguous territory ,section #bce7;b77#b77;,c7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #abbe7;b77#b77;,c77 is amended by inserting before the period at the end the following3 with the affirmative consent of the alien 4 7b7 ,interview applicants ,in the case of an alien who is a member of a vulnerable population and applying for admission as a refugee under section #bjg of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act1 the ,secretary of ,homeland ,security shall ensure that the number of interviews required of such an alien is not overly burdensome4 7c7 ,asylum officer defined ,section #bce7;b77#a77;,e7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #abbe7;b77#a77;,e77 is amended-- 7#a7 in clause 7i71 by striking and at the end2 7#b7 in clause 7ii71 by striking the period at the end and inserting the following3 1 and2 and 7#c7 by adding at the end the following3 7iii7 is an employee of ,u4,s4 ,citizenship and ,immigration ,services4 4 ,,ii ,immigration ,proceedings #bja4 ,immigration judge requirements ,the ,attorney ,general may not require an immigration judge to adhere to a case production quota or any other time-based metric and may not evaluate the performance of an immigration judge using any such quota or time based metric4 #bjb4 ,representation 7a7 ,right to counsel ,the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #aaja et seq47 is amended-- 7#a7 in section #bch7;b77#d77;,b71 by striking 7at no expense to the government72 7#b7 in section #bdj7;b77#d77;,a71 by striking 1 at no expense to the ,government12 and 7#c7 by amending section #bib to read as follows3 #bib4 ,right to counsel 7a7 ,in general ,in any proceeding before an immigration judge and in any appeal proceeding before the ,attorney ,general from any such proceedings1 the person concerned1 including an unaccompanied alien child or an alien who is an individual with a disability 7as such term is defined in ,section #g7bj7 of the ,rehabilitation ,act of #aigc 7#bi ,u4,s4,c4 #gje771 shall have the privilege of being represented by such counsel1 authorized to practice in such proceedings1 as the person shall choose4 7b7 ,indigent aliens ,in the case of an indigent alien1 an immigration judge shall appoint1 at the alien's request1 counsel to represent the alien in any proceeding described in subsection 7a74 4 7b7 ,access to counsel for unaccompanied alien children ,section #bce7;c77#e7 of the ,william ,wilberforce ,trafficking ,victims ,protection ,reauthorization ,act of #bjjh 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #abcb7;c77#e77 is amended by striking to the greatest extent practicable and consistent with section #bib of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #acfb74 7c7 ,court date ,section #bdj7;a7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #abbi;a7a77 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7#d7 ,deportation ,an alien that is eligible for a removal proceeding under this ,act may not be removed prior to the date of such proceeding4 4 ,,iii ,judicial review #cja4 ,extension on petition for review ,section #bdb7;b7 of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #abeb7;b77 is amended-- 7#a7 in paragraph 7#a7-- 7,a7 by striking #cj days and inserting #fj days2 and 7,b7 by inserting before the period at the end the following3 1 except that a court may extend the deadline for a period of not more than #cj days upon a showing of good cause or excusable neglect2 and 7#b7 in paragraph 7#c77;,b7-- 7,a7 by striking does not and inserting shall2 and 7,b7 by striking 1 unless the court orders otherwise4 #cjb4 ,notice of opportunity to appeal 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #cj days after the ,board of ,immigration ,appeals affirms an order of removal issued pursuant to section #bdj1 the ,attorney ,general shall provide written notice of the right to appeal to the alien 7or1 if personal service is not practicable1 through service by mail to the alien or to the alien's counsel of record1 if any7 specifying the deadline for seeking judicial review under section #bdb of the ,immigration and ,nationality ,act 7#h ,u4,s4,c4 #abeb7 and the appropriate court of appeals4 7b7 ,regulations ,the ,attorney ,general shall amend such regulations as may be necessary to implement subsection 7a74 7c7 ,effective date ,subsection 7a7 shall take effect on the date that is #abj days after the date of enactment of this ,act4 ,,iv ,miscellaneous #dja4 ,video conference technology ,not later than #abj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,attorney ,general1 acting through the ,director of the ,executive ,office for ,immigration ,review1 shall submit to ,congress a report on the effect of video conference hearings on the outcome of such hearings4 #djb4 ,authorization of ,appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this ,act #gbf1bjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbj through #bjba4