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**Legislative Bulletin**Hello y'all,

The National Immigration Forum's Legislative Bulletin for Friday, April
12, 2024, is now posted.

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

All the best,

Ally

**LEGISLATIVE BULLETIN - Friday, April 12, 2024**

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

**House Delays Sending Impeachment Articles to Senate**On April 9, CNN
reported
 that
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) had opted to delay sending the
impeachment articles against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro
Mayorkas to the Senate until next week, a move meant to buy his
Republican colleagues in the upper chamber more time to publicly fight
for a full trial against the Biden administration's top immigration
and border enforcement official.

The articles were originally supposed to reach the Senate by Wednesday,
but some Republican senators urged Johnson to postpone that timeline to
provide for a better chance at a fuller discussion of them.

Even so, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) has
 seemingly
teed up a quick vote to dismiss or table the trial, as Democrats and
even some Republicans show little appetite for a drawn-out debate
despite growing pressure
 to
look tough on the border in an election year. "We're sticking with our
plan," Schumer said. "We're going to move this as expeditiously as
possible."

From the start, the impeachment effort against Mayorkas has been widely
criticized by legal experts and national security leaders, who say the
constitutional punishment was not meant to be weaponized over mere
policy differences. 

"The challenges at the border and the need for modernizing our
immigration system are still pending action from Congress," Jennie
Murray, president and CEO of the National Immigration Forum, recently
reiterated in a statement
.
"We urge Congress to invest energy on solutions that will further secure
our border and treat migrants with dignity." 

**March Refugee Numbers Disappointing, But U.S. Refugee Program Could
Still Resettle 100,000 This Fiscal Year**The U.S. resettled 7,431
refugees in March, a significant decrease of 2,820 people from the
10,251 resettled in February. The six-month total of refugee arrivals
for FY 2024 is 48,673.

If the U.S. were to resettle 48,673 refugees for the second six months
of FY 2024, it would welcome 97,346 people total this fiscal year. To
reach the 125,000-refugee target for the year, the U.S. would need to
resettle approximately 12,721 refugees for the next six months.

Overall, FY 2024 is still looking to be a good year for refugee
resettlement. The March numbers demonstrate the importance of a refugee
pipeline that can sustain high numbers of refugee arrivals from month to
month. A one-month decrease in arrivals means subsequent months have to
see a higher number of arrivals if the program wants to come close to
reaching 100,000 arrivals - let alone the 125,000 refugees targeted
for FY 2024.

Local

**Iowa, Louisiana Advance Bills to Join Texas in Creating New State
Immigration Crimes**Amid burgeoning interest in state-level legislative
action on immigration across many Republican-controlled states,
Louisiana and Iowa advanced bills criminalizing the entry and presence
of undocumented immigrants in their respective states this week. 

Both pieces of legislation are similar to Texas's controversial S.B.
4 ,
with the Iowa proposal tracking it almost verbatim. This despite the
fact that immigration enforcement in the U.S. has long
 been
under federal purview. 

The Iowa bill
,
signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) on Wednesday, makes it a crime
to enter, attempt to enter, or be present in Iowa for anyone who has
been denied admission, deported, or excluded from the U.S. The offense
is, in some instances, a misdemeanor but may be raised to a felony
 if
the perpetrator has previously been deported for certain criminal
offenses. 

Notably, while this bill tracks much of the Texas legislation whose
enforcement is currently being stayed by the Fifth Circuit Court of
Appeals, it leaves out the affirmative defenses that the Texas version
provides for some noncitizens with lawful presence or deportation
protections such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

For its part, the Louisiana bill would make entering
 or
being present in Louisiana by any noncitizen without legal status such
as a green card, a current work permit or visa, or a student or tourist
visa a crime punishable by up to a year in prison and a fine of up to
$4,000 for a first offense, and by at least six months up to two years
in prison or a fine up to $10,000 or both for a second or any subsequent
offense. It would provide limited exceptions for noncitizens who have
been "necessary witness[es] to or victim[s] of a crime of domestic
violence, rape, sexual exploitation, sexual assault, murder,
manslaughter, assault, battery, human trafficking, kidnapping, false
imprisonment, involuntary servitude, fraud in foreign labor contracting,
blackmail, extortion, or witness tampering."

Further, the bill would codify the Louisiana governor's ability to
enter into an "interstate compact" with Texas, to assist Texas in its
attempts to use state law enforcement and resources to "protect its
southern border." 

Immigration advocates
 and
opponents of these and other pieces of legislation believe they are
clearly unconstitutional, overreaching the exclusive federal authority
to enforce immigration law. They fear that, if enforced, the policies
could embolden profiling and drain state resources, while doing little
to actively improve border security. 

**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, April 15 through Friday, April 19, 2024. 

The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to be in session from
Monday, April 15 through Thursday, April 18, 2024. 

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

A Review of the Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request for the Department of
Homeland Security

**Date:** Tuesday, April 16, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. EDT (House Homeland
Security)

**Location:** 310 Cannon House Office Building, Washington, D.C.

**Witnesses:** 

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

How the Border Crisis Impacts Public Safety

**Date:** Tuesday, April 16, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. EDT (House Committee on
Oversight and Accountability)

**Location:** 2154 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C.

**Witnesses:**

**Hon. Ken Cuccinelli,** Senior Fellow for Immigration and Homeland
Security, Center for Renewing America

**Bill Waybourn,** Sheriff, Tarrant County, Texas 

**Mike Chapman,** Sheriff, Loudoun County, Virginia

Budget Hearing - Fiscal Year 2025 Request for the Department of
Justice

**Date:** Tuesday, April 16, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. EDT (House
Appropriations)

**Location:** 2359 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C. 

**Witnesses: **

**The Honorable Merrick Garland, **Attorney General, Department of
Justice

Budget Hearing - Fiscal Year 2025 Request for the Federal Emergency
Management Agency

**Date:** Tuesday, April 16, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. EDT (House
Appropriations)

**Location: **2358-C Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C.

**Witnesses: **

**The Honorable Deanne Criswell,** Administrator, Federal Emergency
Management Agency

A Review of the President's Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request for the
Department of Health and Human Services

**Date:** Tuesday, April 16, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. EDT (Senate
Appropriations)

**Location:** Dirksen Senate Office Building 138, Washington, D.C.

**Witnesses: **

**The Honorable Xavier Becerra,** Secretary, Department of Health and
Human Services

Legacy of Harm: Eliminating the Abuse of Solitary Confinement

**Date:** Tuesday, April 16, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. EDT (Senate Judiciary)

**Location:** Dirksen Senate Office Building Room G50, Washington, D.C.

**Witnesses:** TBA

The Reign of Brutal Gangs in the Western Hemisphere

**Date:** Wednesday, April 17, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. EDT (House Foreign
Affairs) 

**Location:** 2200 Rayburn, Washington, D.C.

**Witnesses: **

**Shelby Smith-Wilson,** Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau
of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, U.S. Department
of State

Fiscal Year 2025 Department of Health and Human Services Budget

**Date:** Wednesday, April 17, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. EDT (House Energy and
Commerce)

**Location:** TBA

**Witnesses:** TBA

A Review of the President's Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Request for the
U.S. Department of Justice

**Date:** Wednesday, April 17, 2024 at 2:30 p.m. EDT (Senate
Appropriations)

**Location:** Dirksen Senate Office Building 192, Washington, D.C.

**Witnesses:** 

**The Honorable Merrick Garland**, Attorney General, U.S. Department of
Justice

The FY25 DHS Budget: Resources and Authorities Requested to Protect and
Secure the Homeland

**Date:** Thursday, April 18, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. EDT (Senate Homeland
Security and Governmental Affairs)

**Location:** Senate Dirksen Building, SD-342, Washington, D.C.

**Witnesses:** TBA

**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); FEMA's Emergency Food and
Shelter Program (EFSP) ;
Updated April 4, 2024This report details the Federal Emergency
Management Agency's (FEMA) Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP),
including its use to accommodate migrants through what was called
EFSP-H, a program whose responsibilities have since transitioned under
Shelter and Services. 

Congressional Research Service (CRS); U.S. Citizenship and Immigration
Services (USCIS): Operations and Issues for Congress
; Published April 5,
2024 This report considers U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
(USCIS) as a largely fee-funded, benefits-granting agency and presents
potential policy issues for Congress' attention.

Congressional Research Service (CRS); Optional Practical Training (OPT)
for Foreign Students in the United States
; Published April 9,
2024This report explores the pros and cons of Optional Practical
Training (OPT) for foreign professionals with F-1 or M-1 nonimmigrant
status, including as an alternative to more competitive, intensive
processes such as H-1B and lawful permanent residence applications. 

**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: 

Explainer: Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Work Visas
This
explainer provides a list and brief explanation of various visas
available for U.S.-based employers to hire noncitizens in the country.

Six Actionable Recommendations to Improve Safety and Wellbeing for
Asylum-Seeking Families in the Context of the Biden Administration's
Fast-Tracked Deportations
This
position paper details realistic policy changes that the Biden
administration could make to help ensure asylum seekers enrolled in the
Family Expedited Removal Management (FERM) program have access to a
process that is as fair, efficient, and humane as possible in the
context of fast-tracked proceedings.

Bill Analysis: Temporary Family Visitation Act (TFVA)
The 

**Temporary Family Visitation Act **(S. 3255
 and H.R.
5155
)
would create a new nonimmigrant visa category for visiting relatives of
U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents (commonly referred to as
green card holders) seeking to facilitate a temporary reunion with
family members residing in the United States. The bill was introduced
 in
the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Scott Peters (D-California) on
August 4, 2023, and in the U.S. Senate
 by
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) on November 8, 2023.

* * *

*This Bulletin is not intended to be comprehensive. Please contact
Alexandra Villarreal, Senior 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.

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