SHIELD Act

Securing the Homeland from International Entrants with Life-threatening Diseases Act or the SHIELD Act

This bill suspends for one year the admission and parole into the United States of certain categories of individuals who are from or were recently in a country that fails to meet certain criteria related to COVID-19.

This restriction applies to certain individuals entering the United States from Mexico or Canada through a port of entry or U.S. Border Patrol station and (1) whose country of origin has not been categorized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a low-risk country for COVID-19, or (2) who was in such a country at any time in the 30 days before arriving in the United States.

The bill exempts certain individuals from this restriction, including U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents, members of the Armed Forces, and persons from a foreign country who arrive at a designated port of entry with valid travel documents.

The Department of Homeland Security shall transport barred individuals to a foreign location, such as an individual's country of origin, to the extent practicable.