Halting deportations of long-term Southeast Asian refugees facing removal to countries they've never

What it does

This bill halts deportations of Cambodian, Laotian, and Vietnamese nationals who entered the U.S. before January 1, 2008, and have lived here continuously since. It grants them work permits valid for 5 years (renewable indefinitely), reduces in-person check-in requirements to once every 5 years, and allows those previously deported or who left voluntarily to reopen their immigration cases and return to the U.S. at government expense. The bill rests on findings that these communities arrived as refugees after U.S. military involvement in Southeast Asia, faced systemic barriers and over-policing in the 1990s, and now face deportation to countries where they lack language skills, family ties, and face human rights risks.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core mechanism is a deportation halt and status restoration for long-term Southeast Asian residents, grounded in historical U.S. military involvement and documented systemic injustice in 1990s criminal-justice and immigration policy. It is protective legislation, not a carve-out or subsidy.

What the text implies

• Reopening of cases applies retroactively to anyone ordered removed since April 24, 1996—potentially affecting thousands already deported, requiring DHS to fund their return and re-adjudication.
• Removal of deadline restrictions (section 4(c)) and de novo judicial review (section 4(f)) create a new pathway for judicial oversight of immigration decisions, potentially signaling broader due-process reform.
• Waiver of physical-presence requirements for relief applications (section 4(e)) may allow individuals to apply for asylum, cancellation of removal, or other protections they were previously barred from seeking.
• Virtual check-ins reduce enforcement contact, which may lower deportation risk but also reduces government visibility into the population's location and status.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Approximately 15,000 long-term residents—many who arrived as child refugees—regain legal status, work authorization, and protection from deportation to countries where they lack ties and face risks. The bill addresses a documented pattern of over-policing and retroactive application of 1990s deportation laws that disproportionately ensnared Southeast Asian youth, correcting a systemic injustice.

Named in the bill

Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Secretary of Homeland Security, Attorney General, Immigration and Nationality Act, 2002 U.S.-Cambodia Repatriation Agreement, 2008 U.S.-Vietnam Memorandum of Understanding, Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act (IIRIRA), Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act (AEDPA)

Where it stands

38 cosponsors: 38 Democrats.

• Feb 20, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Feb 20, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.