Summary — H.R. 1348 (119th Congress, 1st Session)
Title shown in text: “Venezuelan Adjustment Act”
Introduced: February 13, 2025 (Rep. Darren Soto) — Referred to House Judiciary Committee
Procedural status (per available record): Reported enrolled; placed on calendar and adopted by the House (June 1, 2025)
Note: the administrative bill header supplied with your request listed a separate, ceremonial resolution commending an individual (Summer White). The full bill text available and summarized below is substantive immigration legislation titled the “Venezuelan Adjustment Act.” This summary addresses that substantive text.
Purpose
Authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security to adjust the immigration status of certain Venezuelan nationals (and qualifying family members) who meet specified presence and eligibility requirements to become lawful permanent residents (green card holders), and to provide related procedural protections (stays of removal, work authorization, retroactive records of admission).
Key provisions and changes
- Adjustment of status authority: DHS may adjust an eligible Venezuelan national’s status to that of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence.
- Filing window: Applicants must file within 3 years of the Act’s enactment.
- Presence and entry requirements:
- Principal beneficiaries must be nationals of Venezuela who entered the U.S. on or before December 31, 2021.
- Must have been continuously present for at least 1 year as of the date of application. Aggregate absences up to 180 days do not break continuous presence.
- Derivative beneficiaries include the spouse, child, or unmarried son/daughter of an eligible principal.
- Admissibility and waivers:
- The applicant must be otherwise eligible for an immigrant visa and admissible for permanent residence.
- Certain grounds of inadmissibility in section 212(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act — specifically paragraphs (4), (5), (6)(A), and (7)(A) of 8 U.S.C. 1182(a) — are made inapplicable in determining admissibility for this adjustment program.
- Explicit exclusions: Ineligible if convicted of an aggravated felony; convicted of two or more crimes involving moral turpitude (excluding purely political offenses); or participated in persecution.
- Relief from prior orders: Individuals with prior orders of exclusion, deportation, removal, or voluntary departure may file an application notwithstanding such orders; no separate motion to reopen/reconsider is required. If status is adjusted, prior orders are canceled; if denied, prior orders remain enforceable.
- Stay of removal & work authorization:
- DHS must promulgate procedures allowing an applicant subject to a final removal order to seek a stay based on filing.
- DHS generally may not remove an alien in proceedings while an application is pending (except after a final denial).
- DHS may authorize employment while an application is pending, and must authorize employment if the application has been pending more than 180 days and not denied.
- Record of admission: Upon approval, DHS must establish a record of admission for permanent residence dated to the alien’s arrival in the U.S.
Who is affected
- Primary beneficiaries: Venezuelan nationals who entered the U.S. on or before Dec 31, 2021, and meet the continuous presence and eligibility rules.
- Family members: Spouses, children, and unmarried sons/daughters of eligible principals.
- DHS/immigration system: USCIS and DHS immigration enforcement operations for processing applications, stays, employment authorization, and record adjustments.
- Potentially individuals previously ordered removed who seek relief under this program.
Timing and procedures
- Application deadline: within 3 years of enactment.
- Continuous presence look-back: 1-year minimum for principals; short absences (aggregate ≤180 days) permitted.
- DHS rulemaking: required to establish stay procedures and application processing rules.
- Employment authorization: available while application pending; mandatory authorization after 180 days of pendency unless denied.
Sponsors / cosponsors (selected)
Primary sponsor: Rep. Darren Soto. Cosponsors include Maria Elvira Salazar, Al Green, Mary Gay Scanlon, Kathy Castor, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Seth Moulton, Frederica S. Wilson, Joaquin Castro, Don Bacon, Yvette Clarke, Maxwell Frost, Sheila Cherfilus‑McCormick, Nydia Velázquez, and Frederica Wilson (listed among others).
Potential impact (brief)
- Provides a legislative pathway to lawful permanent residence for a defined cohort of Venezuelan nationals and their immediate family members, reducing removal risk and enabling lawful work and benefits that flow from LPR status.
- Could reduce immigration court caseloads for eligible individuals by resolving status through adjustment rather than asylum or other adjudications.
- Would require DHS resources to implement rulemaking, adjudication, employment authorization processing, and record adjustments.
If you want, I can (1) produce a plain‑language handout for affected communities describing eligibility and next steps, or (2) map how this bill compares to prior similar statutory adjustment programs (e.g., for Cubans, Nicaraguans, Haitians).
