PROTECT Military Families Act

Sponsor: Gilbert Ray Cisneros (Democratic-CA)January 7, 2026

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Introduced

In Committee

Passed One Chamber

Passed Both Chambers

Signed into Law

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Military families would get guaranteed temporary entry to the U.S.

This bill would make it easier for certain family members of U.S. service members and veterans to temporarily enter the country. These family members include spouses, parents, and children. If a request is denied, three top government officials would have to jointly explain why, and that explanation would be made public.

What Would Change

Today, the Secretary of Homeland Security (who used to be the Attorney General) can choose whether to grant temporary entry to non-citizens. After this bill, the Secretary would be required to allow certain family members of current and former military members to enter the U.S. for one year at a time. Any denial would need a joint written reason from three Secretaries and would be made public.

Key Provisions

Would require the Secretary of Homeland Security to allow temporary entry for certain family members of current and former U.S. service members.
Would grant this temporary entry for one year at a time.
Would require the Secretaries of Homeland Security, Defense, and Veterans Affairs to jointly write a reason for any denial, and this job could not be passed to others.
Would require the Department of Homeland Security to publicly share detailed reasons for any denials, without personal details.
Would move the power to grant temporary entry under this law from the Attorney General to the Secretary of Homeland Security.

View on Congress.gov

HR 6958 · 119th Congress · January 7, 2026 · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 10/10

PROTECT Military Families Act

What Would Change

Key Provisions

Lobbying Activity