The last time the U.S. Congress made any significant changes to immigration policy was in 1996 when immigration policy was part of an effort to pass all aspects of federal government appropriations in one fell swoop, referred to as an "omnibus."

This week was the beginning of the use of what is termed a "minibus" to move things along.

The House passed a rare bipartisan and substantive immigration bill on Thursday afternoon, the Laken Riley Act.

Laken Riley's recent murder at the hands of an illegal alien shocked and horrified the nation, and Congress took note. That alien had been caught, released, and had come in contact with law enforcement several times without being removed from the country or detained. While the House has already passed H.R. 2, the gold standard border security bill which would have ended catch and release, House Republicans wanted to do more.

The Laken Riley Act requires the detention of illegal aliens who have committed burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting. Importantly, it also gives States tools to fight back against administrations unwilling to faithfully execute the law as written by Congress. It empowers States directly by giving them standing to sue in Federal court, along with expedited consideration, for catch and release, mass parole, not complying with mandatory detention of aliens ordered removed, and for failing to discontinue visas to recalcitrant nations. Read more about the bill here.

All of the Republicans that voted yesterday voted in favor of the bill along with 37 Democrats. Check the Action Board to respond to your own Member of Congress's vote.

During the State of the Union last night, President Biden claimed he actually wants to secure the border, but has (apparently) been stopped by Republicans. Never mind the border surge directly resulting from countless executive actions that his own Administration has taken over the past three years.

Rather than push for H.R. 2, which would actually secure the border, President Biden demanded that Congress send him the Lankford-Schumer deal which would effectively codify the border crisis. That bill failed on the Senate floor just a few weeks ago.

There's still time for Congress to act and fix the border crisis. Call your Member of Congress and Senators and ask them to get H.R. 2 signed into law.

(Idaho capitol building in Boise; Idaho state Representative Jordan Redman (R-03))

A full update on the E-Verify effort is coming soon, with the bill (HB 4759) still sitting on the doorstep of the finish line as West Virginia's legislative session comes to an end on Saturday.

Last week, the Iowa state Senate passed a mandatory E-Verify bill (Senate File 108) by a vote of 30-17. Sen. Julian Garrett (R-Indianola) is the sponsor of the legislation, and he has been an E-Verify champion for years. "It's very unfair for law-abiding, legitimate business and employees to have to compete with people that are coming across the border… This is something we can do, and I think it'll make a difference," he said. The last time it passed was five years ago, but it has never received a vote in the full House of Representatives.

Arizona is again leading with a novel approach to immigration enforcement legislation, seeking to bypass Democrat Governor Katie Hobbs and placing their bill directly on the ballot for voters to consider later this year. House Concurrent Resolution 2060, sponsored by House Speaker Ben Toma, would expand their existing E-Verify requirement to subcontractors and independent contractors, as well as tightening access to public benefit programs to ensure they are not available to illegal aliens. It has passed the House (31-28, on a party line vote), and awaits action in the state Senate.

Political parties in Texas have the opportunity to add non-binding propositions to their primary ballots, and this year there was a mandatory E-Verify proposition. Proposition 3 on Republican ballots read "The Texas legislature should require the use of E-Verify by all employers in Texas to protect jobs for legal workers by preventing the hiring of illegal aliens." More than two million Republican voters responded YES, carrying the measure with 90% of the vote. Will their legislature listen to their voters next year when they convene?