Legislative Bulletin

 

 

Hello y'all,

The National Immigration Forum's Legislative Bulletin for Friday,
October 27, 2023, is now posted.

You can find the online version of the bulletin
here: [link removed]

[link removed]

All the best,

Ally 

**LEGISLATIVE BULLETIN - Friday, October 27, 2023**Welcome to the
National Immigration Forum's weekly bulletin! Every Friday, our policy
team rounds up key developments around immigration policy in Washington
and across the country. The bulletin includes items on the legislative,
executive, and judicial branches, as well as some coverage at the state
and local levels. 

Here's a breakdown of the bulletin's sections:

DEVELOPMENTS IN IMMIGRATION THIS WEEK

BILLS INTRODUCED AND CONSIDERED

LEGISLATIVE FLOOR CALENDAR

UPCOMING HEARINGS AND MARKUPS

GOVERNMENT REPORTS

SPOTLIGHT ON NATIONAL IMMIGRATION FORUM RESOURCES

**DEVELOPMENTS IN IMMIGRATION THIS WEEK**Immigration policy is a dynamic
field subject to constant change. Here, we summarize some of the most
important recent developments in immigration policy on the federal,
legal, state, and local levels. 

Content warning: This section sometimes includes events and information
that can prove disturbing. 

****Federal****

**Mike Johnson Elected New House Speaker**On October 25, the House of
Representatives voted to elect Rep. Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) as the
new Speaker of the House
.
The final vote count was 220 votes for Johnson and 209 for House
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York). 

Johnson was first elected to the House in2016

after serving in the Louisiana legislature for nearly two years. His
background is in constitutional law, and he is a member of the
influential House Judiciary Committee
. 

In office, Johnson has made concerning comments

that have drawn connections

to the "great replacement" theory
,
which argues that non-white immigrants are "invading" countries such as
the United States in an international conspiracy to replace
majority-white populations.

"These are the documented facts: We have a literal invasion of lawless
masses flooding over our border from more than 160 countries," Johnson
said

last year
. 

Referring to Democrats, Johnson has also said
, "This
is the plan of our friends on this side - to turn all the illegals
into voters."

**Migrant Encounters at U.S.-Mexico Border Remain High in
September** In September, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
recorded 269,735 migrant encounters at the United States-Mexico border,
218,763

of which took place between ports of entry. 

The September numbers round out data for all of fiscal year 2023, which
saw over 2.4 million migrant encounters at the southern border. Despite
these high totals, there are signs of progress: nearly 430,000
of
the encounters took place at ports of entry, through a safer, more
orderly process than crossing the river or desert without
authorization. 

September also marked the first month whenVenezuelans

were the most apprehended nationality crossing the border. Border Patrol
encountered Venezuelan migrants 54,833 times last month, compared to
22,090 times in August. Yet initial reports

indicate those numbers may be on the decline, as incidents of
Venezuelans crossing unauthorized "have dropped 50 to 60 percent" since
the Biden administration's announcement earlier this month that the U.S.
would resume direct repatriations to Venezuela. 

According to the Washington Post
,
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) intends to remove "two to
three planeloads" of Venezuelans back to their home country each week. 

Meanwhile, Nicaragua's government is reportedly "weaponizing migration
as a foreign policy," allowing charter flights carrying 31,000 Haitians
and 17,000 Cubans in recent months to fly to Nicaragua as a launchpad
for the journey to the U.S. The flights cost thousands of dollars, and
when migrants land in Managua, smugglers are waiting for them to
continue onward.

Experts and critics believe that Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega will
exploit the situation as a bargaining chip, to strong-arm the U.S. into
potentially easing sanctions and pressure on his repressive regime. 

"Ortega is going to use this migration issue to say to the United States
that we're the ones in control," Enrique Martínez, a spokesperson

for Platform for Democratic Unity, told the Associated Press. "And if
they want to stop this, they're going to have to negotiate."

On Nov. 3, President Joe Biden will host an "Americas"summit

with other hemispheric leaders
,
in part to address the region's challenges with large-scale
migration. 

**Mexico Hosts Summit Focused on Migration**On October 22, Mexico
President Andrés Manuel Lopez Obrador hosted

a summit focused on migration in Palenque, Chiapas, Mexico. The
presidents of Cuba, Venezuela, Haiti, Honduras, and Colombia - plus
diplomatic delegates from El Salvador, Belize, Panama, and Costa Rica
- attended.

The summit resulted in the non-binding "Palenque Declaration
,"
which highlighted that climate change, as well as political and
socioeconomic factors, are the main drivers of forced migration. The
declaration also emphasized that unilateral sanctions on countries have
adverse effects on vulnerable populations.

The ten participating countries adopted

14 commitments, which included strategies to respect, protect, and
guarantee the human rights of migrants. The signatories also agreed to
request that the U.S. stop economic sanctions on some of the region's
countries, and more generally to ask countries of destination for
migration to expand their legal pathways. 

The declaration includes a provision to help Haiti recover its political
and socioeconomic stability.

****State and Local ****

**Texas Immigration and Border Bills Advance as the State Sues the Biden
Administration Over Dangerous Razor Wire**On October 26, the Texas House
of Representativespassed

three bills related to immigration and border security, despite
widespread concerns that the legislation would challenge Supreme Court
precedent and the U.S. Constitution, potentially criminalize people for
driving undocumented Texans to church or the doctor's office, and fund
more walls and controversial buoy barriers in the Rio Grande. 

Senate Bill 4 - which increases the mandatory minimum sentence for
smuggling migrants or operating a stash house to ten years -advanced
through the House and now goes to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) for final
approval. Advocates

and Democrats
have
warned that the bill may affect neighbors or classmates who give their
friends a ride to everyday activities. 

House Bill 6, in turn, would direct another $1.5 billion to the
state's barriers, as Abbott builds his own

wall along the Texas-Mexico border. But the most extreme bill is House
Bill 4, which would create state offenses for crossing the border
without authorization and go so far as to allow Texas peace officers to
"remove
"
people back to Mexico. 

On Tuesday, the National Immigration Forum sent a letter

to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (R) and Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan (R)
asking them to oppose H.B. 4, which raises serious constitutional
questions and would have significant human rights implications. 

The two Texas House bills will now go to the state Senate for
consideration. 

Separately, Texas filed alawsuit

against the Biden administration on Tuesday, trying to stop federal
agents from cutting through Texas's razor wire along the border
- which has reportedly

made it more difficult for U.S. Border Patrol to reach migrants, and
which has caused severe injuries. 

"By cutting Texas's concertina wire, the federal government has not
only illegally destroyed property owned by the State of Texas; it has
also disrupted the State's border security efforts, leaving gaps in
Texas's border barriers and damaging Texas's ability to effectively
deter illegal entry into its territory," Texas argued

in the complaint. 

Meanwhile, a retired veteran who worked
security as part of Abbott's bussing program has blown the whistle
around "disgusting and inhuman" treatment onboard. 

David Dillard said that once the migrants are on a bus, they are not
allowed to get off while still in Texas. There is only one bathroom,
which overflows with human waste, dirty diapers, and used feminine
products. 

Dillard was initially working with non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
to let them know how many migrants were onboard, where they were going,
and when they would get there. However, in August 2022, he and other
contractors were told via email to stop speaking and coordinating with
the NGOs. Dillard also said that he was instructed to stop migrants from
using his Wi-Fi hotspot to figure out where they were. 

**El Paso Set to Establish ID Card Program **On October 24, the El Paso
City Council, in a unanimous 8-0vote
, approved a
program to implement local identification for El Paso residents.

The initiative

will provide identification for people who cannot obtain a driver's
license or another form of state-issued ID, including formerly
incarcerated, undocumented, and unhoused El Pasoans. 

Organizations canchoose

whether to take the city ID, but some agencies - such as the health
department, the El Paso Police Department, and Park and Recreational
Centers -  will accept it. 

The new cards - which will be free - are not meant to replace state
or federal IDs and will not facilitate voting, driving, buying alcohol,
or traveling. 

The program is expected to begin in Spring 2024.

**BILLS INTRODUCED AND CONSIDERED**It can be challenging to keep up with
the constant barrage of proposed legislation in Congress. So, every
week, we round up new bills. This list includes federal legislative
proposals that have recently been introduced and that are relevant to
immigration policy. 

Please follow this link

to find new relevant bills, as well as proposed legislation from past
weeks. 

**LEGISLATIVE FLOOR CALENDAR**The U.S. Senate is expected to be in
session from Monday, October 30 through Friday, November 3, 2023.

The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to be in session the week
of Monday, October 30, 2023.

**UPCOMING HEARINGS AND MARKUPS**Here, we round up congressional
hearings and markups happening in the field or in Washington. 

**A Review of the National Security Supplemental Request**

**Date:**Tuesday, October 31, 2023 at 9:30 a.m. EST (Senate
Appropriations)

**Location:**Dirksen Senate Office Building 106, Washington, D.C.

**Witnesses:**

**The Honorable Antony J. Blinken,**Secretary, U.S. Department of State

**The Honorable Lloyd J. Austin III,**Secretary, U.S. Department of
Defense

**Threats to the Homeland**

**Date:**Tuesday, October 31, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. EST (Senate Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs)

**Location:**Senate Dirksen Building, SD-562, Washington, D.C.

**Witnesses:**

**The Honorable Alejandro N. Mayorkas,** Secretary, U.S. Department of
Homeland Security

**The Honorable Christopher A. Wray,** Director, Federal Bureau of
Investigation, U.S. Department of Justice

**The Honorable Christine Abizaid,** Director, National Counterterrorism
Center Office of the Director of National Intelligence

**Hearings to examine the nominations of Harry Coker, Jr., of Kansas, to
be National Cyber Director, Jeff Rezmovic, of Maryland, to be Chief
Financial Officer, Department of Homeland Security, and Suzanne
Elizabeth Summerlin, of Florida, to be General Counsel of the Federal
Labor Relations Authority**

**Date:**Thursday, November 2, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. EST (Senate Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs)

**Location:**Senate Dirksen Building, SD-562, Washington, D.C.

**Witnesses:**

**Harry Coker, Jr.,**to be National Cyber Director, Executive Office of
the President

**Jeff Rezmovic,** to be Chief Financial Officer, U.S. Department of
Homeland Security

**Suzanne E. Summerlin,** to be General Counsel, Federal Labor Relations
Authority

**GOVERNMENT REPORTS**Reports by bodies such as the U.S. Government
Accountability Office, the Congressional Research Service, and the
Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General provide
invaluable information on immigration policy and practice. Here, we give
brief summaries of new immigration-related reports, with links to the
resources themselves in case you want to learn more. 

**Congressional Research Service (CRS);****Barriers Along the U.S.
Border: Key Authorities and Recent Developments**

**; Published October 23, 2023**This legal sidebar explores statutory
authorizations for border barrier construction amid Homeland Security
Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas's waivers

of federal statutes to build sections of border wall in the Rio Grande
Valley earlier this month.

**SPOTLIGHT ON NATIONAL IMMIGRATION FORUM RESOURCES**The Forum is
constantly publishing new policy-focused resources that engage with some
of the most topical issues around immigration today. Here are a few that
are particularly relevant this week: 

**American Dream Employment Act: Bill Summary**
This
bill summary explores the American Dream Employment Act of 2023, which
would allow Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients,
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, and Deferred Enforced
Departure (DED) recipients to work in the U.S. Congress.

**Illicit Fentanyl and Drug Smuggling at the U.S.-Mexico Border: An
Overview**
This
paper gives a detailed overview of fentanyl and drug smuggling at the
U.S.-Mexico border, including the fact that "most illicit fentanyl
encountered by CBP is smuggled through POEs [ports of entry]."

**The Reasons Behind the Increased Migration from Venezuela, Cuba, and
Nicaragua**
This
paper explores the reasons behind the increased migration from
Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua. While irregular migration from these
three countries ruled by autocratic governments is not new, the
situation has worsened in recent years. Commonalities include domestic
political crises, weakening economies, Covid-19, natural disasters, and
strict U.S.-led economic sanctions. Facing precarious conditions and the
threat of political persecution, a growing number of people from these
nations have opted to seek safety in the United States.

* * *

*This Bulletin is not intended to be comprehensive. Please contact
Alexandra Villarreal, Policy and Advocacy Associate at the National
Immigration Forum, with comments and suggestions of additional items to
be included. Alexandra can be reached at
[email protected]. Thank you.

 

DONATE

 

**Follow Us**

 

[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]

National Immigration Forum

10 G Street NE, Suite 500

Washington, DC 20002

www.immigrationforum.org

 

Unsubscribe from the Legislative Bulletin
or opt-out from all Forum emails.

 

                                               
           
_________________

Sent to [email protected]

Unsubscribe:
[link removed]

National Immigration Forum, 10 G St NE, Suite 500, Washington, D.C. 20002, United States