119-s2502

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2502 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 2502

 To deny entry into the United States of current or former government 
 officials engaged in the forced repatriation of Uyghurs and other 
 designated aliens to the People's Republic of China, and for other 
 purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 July 29, 2025

Mr. Merkley (for himself and Mr. Cornyn) introduced the following bill; 
 which was read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To deny entry into the United States of current or former government 
 officials engaged in the forced repatriation of Uyghurs and other 
 designated aliens to the People's Republic of China, and for other 
 purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Preventing the Forced Return of 
Uyghurs Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. DENIAL OF ENTRY INTO THE UNITED STATES OF CURRENT OR FORMER 
 OFFICIALS ENGAGED IN THE FORCED REPATRIATION OF UYGHURS 
 AND OTHER DESIGNATED ALIENS TO THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF 
 CHINA.

    (a) Denial of Entry.--

    (1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law 
 and except as provided in subsection

    (b) , the Secretary of 
 State may not issue any visa, and the Attorney General or the 
 Secretary of Homeland Security may not admit to the United 
 States or grant any immigration benefit or status to any 
 current or former government official who the Secretary of 
 State determines is or was responsible for, or complicit in, 
 the forced departure from their country of last habitual 
 residence and return to the People's Republic of China of--
        (A) any Uyghur individual; or
        (B) any alien who--
            (i) is a member of any other ethnic or 
 religious group; and
            (ii) is more likely than not to be subject 
 to persecution by the Government of the 
 People's Republic of China, as determined by 
 the Secretary of State.

    (2) Referral to office of foreign assets control.--
 Concurrent with the application of paragraph

    (1) to an official 
 described in that subsection, the Secretary shall refer the 
 matter to the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the 
 Department of the Treasury to determine whether to apply 
 sanctions authorities in accordance with United States law to 
 block the transfer of property and interests in property, and 
 all financial transactions, in the United States involving such 
 official.

    (b) Waiver.--The Secretary of State may waive the application of 
subsection

    (a) with respect to an official described in that subsection 
if the Secretary determines that--

    (1) such a waiver is in the national interest of the United 
 States; or

    (2) the circumstances that caused the official to be 
 ineligible under that subsection for a visa or an immigration 
 benefit or status have changed sufficiently.
            (c) Report.--

    (1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
 the enactment of this Act, and every 180 days thereafter until 
 the date on which this section ceases to have effect under 
 subsection
            (d) , the Secretary of State shall submit to the 
 appropriate committees of Congress a report that includes, for 
 the period covered by the report--
        (A) information on each official denied admission 
 or an immigration benefit or status under subsection

    (a)

    (1) ; and
        (B) a list of waivers granted under subsection

    (b) , 
 and the justification for each waiver.

    (2) Form.--Each report submitted under this subsection 
 shall be submitted in unclassified form but may include a 
 classified annex.

    (3) Appropriate committees of congress defined.--In this 
 subsection, the term ``appropriate committees of Congress'' 
 means--
        (A) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the 
 Committee on the Judiciary of the Senate; and
        (B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 
 Committee on the Judiciary of the House of 
 Representatives.
            (d) Termination.--This section shall cease to have effect on the 
date that is 5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act.
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