S 3488 United States Senate · 119th Congress

Asylum Reform and Loophole Closure Act

This bill amends key provisions of U.S. immigration law to tighten asylum eligibility requirements. It requires asylum seekers to have attempted to seek protection in transit countries (unless denied protection there), raises the standard for credible fear claims from "significant possibility" to "more likely than not," and adds new grounds for permanent ineligibility (including unlawful entry and visa fraud). It also specifies that families may be detained together for up to 180 days during expedited removal or asylum proceedings. The changes directly affect individuals seeking asylum who entered the U.S. after transiting through other countries or who have immigration violations.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Dec 2025
Committee Review
Floor Vote
President
Introduced Dec 16, 2025 Last action Dec 16, 2025
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2
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Committee
1
Dec 16, 2025
Committee
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
upper
Dec 16, 2025
Introduced
Introduced in Senate
upper
1 primary · 0 co-sponsors

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Role
Legislator
Party
State
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P
Photo of Tom Cotton
Tom Cotton
RRepublican
AR
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