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**Legislative Bulletin**Hello y'all,

The National Immigration Forum's Legislative Bulletin for Friday, July 26, 2024, is now posted.

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

All the best,

Ally

**LEGISLATIVE BULLETIN - Friday, July 26, 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 [link removed]

LEGISLATIVE FLOOR CALENDAR [link removed]

UPCOMING HEARINGS AND MARKUPS [link removed]

GOVERNMENT REPORTS [link removed]

SPOTLIGHT ON NATIONAL IMMIGRATION FORUM RESOURCES [link removed]

As Congress goes on recess in August, so will the bulletin. We will still be publishing every other week, with the next edition on Thursday, August 8, 2024.

**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

**Biden Withdraws from 2024 Presidential Race**

On July 21, President Joe Biden announced via??a letter on?? [link removed] media that he is withdrawing from the 2024 presidential race. Biden subsequently endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris, who quickly consolidated support and is now the overwhelming frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. Within a few days, Harris??secured backing from the majority of delegates [link removed] her party's convention.??

Immigration will likely remain a central issue in the election. The former president, Donald Trump, highlighted immigration repeatedly at the Republican National Convention (RNC) and in recent campaign speeches. In addition, newly-announced Republican vice presidential??candidate J.D. Vance is considered an immigration skeptic [link removed].????

Meanwhile, Republicans are linking Harris to the challenges at the U.S.'s southern border, labeling her as the Biden-Harris administration's "border czar." On Thursday, all House Republicans and six Democrats??voted in favor [link removed] a resolution condemning Harris's work on migration at the U.S.-Mexico border during her tenure as vice president.??

While??Harris was tasked [link removed] leading diplomatic efforts around regional cooperation and the root causes of migration in Central America, her role did not directly deal with the U.S.-Mexico border. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has primary responsibility for establishing policies and managing resources at the border.??

**Legal**

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**Justice Department Alleges Pervasive Sexual Abuse at Major Shelter Provider for Unaccompanied Children**

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On July 17, the U.S. Department of Justice ("DOJ")??sued [link removed] Key Programs, a nonprofit organization and the largest operator of unaccompanied migrant children's shelters in the U.S.????

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The lawsuit accuses Southwest Key of "severe [link removed], pervasive, and unwelcome sexual abuse and harassment" of migrant children, whose ages ranged from 5 to 17 years old. The DOJ alleges that between??2013 and 2023 [link removed], Southwest employees??"raped, touched, or solicited sex and nude images of children," [link removed] 100 incidents [link removed] abuse documented.??

Southwest Key employees also reportedly threatened the victims with violence against them and their families if they came forward about the abuse.??

Southwest Key??responded [link removed] it would continue to review the claim and that the accusations "[do] not present the accurate picture of the care and commitment [Southwest Key] employees provide to the youth and children."??

**Judge Rejects Texas Attorney General's Bid to Depose Shelter Leader??**

On July 24, a state judge in Hidalgo county, Texas,??denied [link removed] Attorney General Ken Paxton's attempt to depose Sister Norma Pimentel, executive director for Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley.??

The lawsuit is part of the state leadership's efforts to investigate migrant-serving nonprofits, while leveling unfounded allegations of criminal acts. Paxton's office similarly targeted Annunciation House - a migrant shelter network in El Paso, Texas -??in an effort to obtain sensitive documents involving the organization's migrant clients. A state judge in El Paso??blocked [link removed] attorney general's efforts to close down Annunciation House for failing to produce those records.??

Attorneys for Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley??called [link removed]'s petition implicating the nonprofit "a fishing expedition into a pond where no one has even seen a fish."????

**State and Local**

**Chicago Expects Thousands of Newcomers From Texas Ahead of DNC??**

Chicago officials are preparing for up to??10,000 [link removed] even??25,000 [link removed] migrants to come to the city ahead of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) on August 19 through 22, as Texas??Gov. Greg Abbott [link removed]??(R) threatened to send more buses from Texas to Democratic-led areas in the coming days.??

Last December, Chicago sheltered around??15,000 [link removed], costing local authorities $1.5 million a day. Those numbers have fallen significantly in recent weeks to??5,621 [link removed] and $677,000 a day. The city has around??5,000 [link removed] beds open.??

At the Republican National Convention (RNC) earlier this month,??Abbott [link removed],"We have continued busing migrants to sanctuary cities all across the country," and "those buses will continue to roll until we finally secure our border."

Yet, the number of border crossings has been much lower in recent weeks after the??Biden [link removed]'s June proclamation and interim final rule severely restricting asylum access and eligibility. Abbott's ability to send migrants from Texas to Chicago in time for the DNC??could be [link removed] by how few newcomers are actually arriving and planning to go to the Windy City.??

**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 [link removed] 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, July 29, through Friday, August 2, 2024.

The U.S. House of Representatives was expected to be in session from Monday, July 29, through Thursday, August 1, 2024, but??decided to break [link removed] August recess this week and will not return until September 9.

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

Business meeting to markup an original bill entitled, "Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act", an original bill entitled, "Department of Defense Appropriations Act", an original bill entitled, "Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act", an original bill entitled, "Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act", and an original bill entitled, "Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act" [link removed]
Date:??Thursday, August 1, 2024 at 9:30 a.m. EDT (Senate Appropriations)??

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

**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.??

U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO);??Immigration Enforcement: Arrests, Removals, and Detentions Varied Over Time and ICE Should Strengthen Data Reporting [link removed]; Published July 23, 2024
This report focuses on data regarding U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests, removals, and detentions from 2019 through 2022, while also exploring changing priorities within the agency during those years.

Congressional Budget Office (CBO);??Effects of the Immigration Surge on the Federal Budget and the Economy [link removed]; Published July 23, 2024
This report considers the effects of an increase in immigration from 2021-2026 on budget and economic projections for 2024-2034.??

**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:??

D-3 Waivers for the Three- and Ten-Year Bars of Dreamers [link removed] June 18, 2024, the Biden administration??announced [link removed] actions to make it easier for Dreamers and DACA recipients who have earned a degree at an accredited U.S. institution of higher education to become eligible for??work visas [link removed] the United States.

Explainer: The Biden Administration's "Securing the Border" Interim Final Rule and Implementation of Border Policies [link removed] explainer describes the "Securing the Border" interim final rule and its most significant changes to the U.S. asylum system, while providing context on how the policies are being implemented on the ground.

Explainer: The Biden Administration's Announcement to Protect American Families [link removed] explainer provides an overview of President Joe Biden's executive actions to keep American families together.??????

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*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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