# 116-hr-8708: American Families United Act

116-hr-8708, American Families United Act, is a 116th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Escobar, Veronica [D-TX-16] (D-TX); status Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. (as of 2025-11-18).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-8708
- As of: 2025-11-18
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 116-hr-8708
- Congress: 116
- Title: American Families United Act
- Status: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
- Introduced: 2020-10-30
- Sponsor: Rep. Escobar, Veronica [D-TX-16] (D-TX)
- Cosponsors: 2
- Policy area: Immigration
- Touches household money: no
- Last recorded action: 2025-11-18

## Summary

American Families United Act This bill limits what constitutes a conviction for immigration purposes and contains other related provisions. (A conviction can in certain instances be grounds for denying an individual immigration benefits.) Under this bill, certain judgments of guilt, such as one that has been deferred, expunged, or invalidated, shall not be considered a conviction for immigration purposes. An order of probation without an entry of judgment shall also not count as a conviction. Similarly, a pardon shall render the underlying conviction null for immigration purposes. Furthermore, for immigration purposes, a term of imprisonment shall only include the actual period of incarceration ordered by a court. If a term of imprisonment is suspended for any length, the suspended time shall not be considered as part of the term of imprisonment. (An individual may be denied certain immigration benefits if the individual has been convicted for a crime with a certain term of imprisonment.) The bill also provides statutory authority for the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security to, in certain instances, exercise discretion when enforcing immigration laws, such as waiving one or more grounds of inadmissibility or declining to order an alien removed. Such discretion may only be exercised on a case-by-case basis for humanitarian purposes or to preserve family unity and is subject to other limitations.

## Cosponsors (2)

- Rep. Woodall, Rob [R-GA-7] (R-GA), 2020-10-30T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Soto, Darren [D-FL-9] (D-FL), 2020-10-30T00:00:00.000Z

## Related bills

- 116-hr-7799: To designate a portion of United States Route 80 in Alabama as the "John R. Lewis Voting Rights Highway", and for other purposes.
- 116-hr-4305: PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act
- 116-hr-4104: Negro Leagues Baseball Centennial Commemorative Coin Act
- 116-hr-2423: Women's Suffrage Centennial Commemorative Coin Act
- 116-hr-1754: Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2020
- 116-hr-1108: Aviation Funding Stability Act of 2019

## Sources
- [116-hr-8708 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/8708)

## Related
- [116-hr-7799: To designate a portion of United States Route 80 in Alabama as the "John R. Lew…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-7799)
- [116-hr-4305: PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-4305)
- [116-hr-4104: Negro Leagues Baseball Centennial Commemorative Coin Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-4104)
- [116-hr-2423: Women's Suffrage Centennial Commemorative Coin Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-2423)
- [116-hr-1754: Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2020](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-1754)
- [116-hr-1108: Aviation Funding Stability Act of 2019](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-1108)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/116-hr-8708 (as of 2025-11-18).