Central America Family Protection and Reunification Act

Central America Family Protection and Reunification Act

This bill states that it shall be: (1) U.S. policy to not separate immigrant families as a deterrent and to reunite families that were separated due to the criminal prosecution of parents for illegal entry, and (2) Department of State policy to prioritize supporting governments and citizens to facilitate reunification of such families.

The State Department shall submit to Congress:

• reports concerning gender-based violence in the Northern Triangle (the region encompassing Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador);
• reports concerning gang and organized-crime related violence in the Northern Triangle;
• strategies to use portions of funds for the U.S. Strategy for Engagement in Central America to combat gender-based violence in the Northern Triangle, as well as to address the damage to the health and well-being of children and caregivers caused by separating children from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The State Department shall establish an office to study serious crimes committed against aliens who were removed from the United States and against U.S. citizens who left the United States because of having an alien parent who was removed from the United States.

Written by the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service. All summary versions on Congress.gov