Legislative Bulletin

 

 

Hello all,

The National Immigration Forum's Legislative Bulletin for Friday,
February 25, 2022, is now posted.

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

[link removed]

All the best,

Arturo 

**LEGISLATIVE BULLETIN - Friday, February 25, 2022**BILLS INTRODUCED AND
CONSIDERED

LEGISLATIVE FLOOR CALENDAR

UPCOMING HEARINGS AND MARKUPS

THEMES IN WASHINGTON THIS WEEK

GOVERNMENT REPORTS

SPOTLIGHT ON NATIONAL IMMIGRATION FORUM RESOURCES

**BILLS INTRODUCED AND CONSIDERED** 

S. 3640

**Belarus Aggression Accountability Act of 2022**

The bill, among various provisions, would revoke and prohibit the
issuance of any type of visas to government officials in Belarus engaged
in aiding or assisting the government of Russia in acts of military
aggression towards Ukraine.

Sponsored by Senator James Lankford (R-Oklahoma) (0

cosponsors- 6 Democrats, 0 Republicans)

02/10/2022 Introduced in the Senate by Senator Lankford

02/10/2022 Referred to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations

S. 3690

**Neighbors Not Enemies Act**

The bill would repeal the Alien Enemies Act (AEA) of 1798, which has
been used, among other instances, to justify the incarceration of
Japanese, German, and Italians in the U.S. during World War II.

Sponsored by Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) (4

cosponsors- 3 Democrats, 1 Independent, 0 Republicans)

02/17/2022 Introduced in the Senate by Senator Hirono

02/17/2022 Referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary

S. 3694

**To prohibit the Department of Homeland Security from requiring
vaccination against COVID-19 for essential critical infrastructure
workers crossing the border**

Sponsored by Senator Roger Wicker (R-Mississippi) (1

cosponsor- 1 Republican, 0 Democrats)

02/17/2022 Introduced in the Senate by Senator Wicker

02/17/2022 Referred to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and
Governmental Affairs

H.R. 6730

**Protecting Higher Education from the Chinese Communist Party Act of
2022**

The bill would prohibit the issuance of F and J visas to current and
former members of the Chinese Communist Party.

Sponsored by Representative Vicky Hartzler (R-Missouri) (4

cosponsors- 4 Republicans, 0 Democrats)

02/15/2022 Introduced in the House by Representative Hartzler

02/15/2022 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary

H.R. 6748

**Midland Over Moscow Act**

The bill, in addition to various other provisions, would revoke and
prohibit the issuance of any type of visas to any person responsible for
planning, constructing, maintaining, financing, or operating the Nord
Stream 2 pipeline.

Sponsored by Representative August Pfluger (R-Texas) (10

cosponsors- 10 Republicans, 0 Democrats)

02/15/2022 Introduced in the House by Representative Pfluger

02/15/2022 Referred to the House Committees on Foreign Affairs, Energy
and Commerce, Natural Resources, and the Judiciary

H.R. 6773

**To direct the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to
require the disclosure of violations of Federal law with respect to
human trafficking or alien smuggling, and for other purposes.**

Sponsored by Representative Lance Gooden (R-Texas) (23

cosponsors- 23 Republicans, 0 Democrats)

02/18/2022 Introduced in the House by Representative Gooden

02/18/2022 Referred to the House Committees on Oversight and Reform,
Ways and Means, and the Judiciary

H.R. 6794

**Integrating New Technologies to Empower Law Enforcement (INTEL) at Our
Borders Act**

The bill would require the Department of Homeland Security to create a
comprehensive strategy for identifying, deploying, and integrating
emerging technologies into our border security. The bill would also
facilitate the replacement of outdated security measures with new
technologies, and ensure that new equipment and strategies are deployed
comprehensively along both the northern and southern borders. The bill
also empowers Congress to conduct more effective oversight by providing
information on acquisition, testing, and scaling of new technology by
Customs and Border Protection (CBP).

Sponsored by Representative Elissa Slotkin (D-Michigan) (5

cosponsors- 4 Republicans, 1 Democrat)

02/18/2022 Introduced in the House by Representative Slotkin

02/18/2022 Referred to the House Committee on Homeland Security

H.R. 6795

**To ensure access to appropriate temporary shelter, food, and water for
individuals apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection**

Sponsored by Representative Elissa Slotkin (D-Michigan) (2

cosponsors- 1 Republican, 1 Democrat)

02/18/2022 Introduced in the House by Representative Slotkin

02/18/2022 Referred to the House Committees on Homeland Security and the
Judiciary

H.R. 6797

**To require U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to facilitate
naturalization services for noncitizen veterans who have been removed
from the United States or are inadmissible**

Sponsored by Representative Juan Vargas (D-California) (6

cosponsors- 6 Democrats, 0 Republicans)

02/18/2022 Introduced in the House by Representative Vargas

02/18/2022 Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary

H.R. 6820

**To amend the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to ensure that an
immigrant unlawfully present in the United States is not eligible for
any service through the Federal Emergency Management Food and Shelter
Program**

Sponsored by Representative Jefferson Van Drew (R-New Jersey) (8

cosponsors- 8 Republicans, 0 Democrats)

02/22/2022 Introduced in the House by Representative Van Drew

02/22/2022 Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services

**LEGISLATIVE FLOOR CALENDAR**

The U.S. Senate will be in session the week of Monday, February 28,
2022.

The U.S. House of Representatives will be in session from Monday,
February 28, through Thursday, March 3, 2022.

**UPCOMING HEARINGS AND MARKUPS**

**Hearing: Discrimination and the Civil Rights of the Muslim, Arab, and
South Asian American Communities**

**Date:** Tuesday, March 1, 2022, at 10:00 am E.T. (House Committee on
the Judiciary)

**Location:** 2141 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C.

**Witnesses:**TBD

**Hearing: Investing in Economic Mobility: The Important Role of
Hispanic Serving Institutions and Other Minority Serving Institutions**

**Date:** Wednesday, March 2, 2022, at 10:15 am E.T. (House Committee on
Education and Labor)

**Location:** Virtual hearing

**Witnesses:**TBD

Hearing: Examining the Court-Ordered Reimplementation of the Remain in
Mexico Policy

**Date:** Wednesday, March 2, 2022, at 2:00 pm E.T. (House Committee on
Homeland Security)

**Location:** Virtual hearing

**Witnesses:**TBD

**THEMES IN WASHINGTON THIS WEEK**

****Federal****

****Russia Invades Ukraine as Advocates Call for Protections for
Ukrainians Abroad, in U.S.****As of February 25, as many as 50,000

Ukrainians have already fled to neighboring countries like Poland,
Slovakia, and Moldova in days following the invasion of Ukraine

by Russian forces on February 24. European countries are preparing to
assist far larger numbers of refugees as the invasion continues, with
Ukraine's Defense Minister estimating

that between three and five million people could be forced to flee the
country. These high numbers would be the most significant movement of
refugees in Europe since the Syrian crisis in 2015. The government of
Poland has - with the help of over 5,000 U.S. troops

from the 82nd Airborne Division - set up eight refugee processing
centers on its border with Ukraine.

In the United States, national security leaders and immigration advocacy
groups called on the Biden administration to designate Temporary
Protected Status (TPS )
and Special Student Relief (SSR) for the estimated 30,000 Ukrainians
living in the U.S. without permanent status. These protections would
allow Ukrainians with nonimmigrant status to stay and work temporarily
in the U.S. without fear of being returned into conflict and violence.
Advocates argued that failing to grant TPS and SSR would force
Ukrainians to choose between staying illegally in the United States or
returning to a nation under attack.

Other immigration advocacy groups called

the Biden administration to build capacity within the U.S. refugee
resettlement system to meet growing resettlement needs. They highlighted
that the current refugee ceiling of 125,000

announced by President Biden in September 2021 could allow the U.S. to
receive thousands of Ukrainian refugees. On February 24, White House
Press Secretary Jen Psaki said

the U.S. is ready to accept Ukrainian refugees and noted that the
administration is "working with European countries on what the needs
are."

****Biden Administration Completes Resettlement of All Afghan Evacuees
from U.S. Military Bases****On February 19, the Department of Homeland
Security announced

that Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) - a government effort to evacuate
and resettle Afghan allies and others at risk following the U.S.
withdrawal from Afghanistan and the subsequent fall of Kabul to the
Taliban - had concluded the relocation of the last group of Afghan
evacuees. DHS's statement

highlighted that approximately 84,600 Afghan nationals, American
citizens, and Lawful Permanent Residents had arrived in the U.S. as part
of OAW, including more than 76,000 Afghan nationals who have now joined
communities across the country.

Approximately 2,800 Afghan evacuees remain

in "lilypad" locations in Qatar and Germany, where they are undergoing
screening and vetting procedures and medical checks.

The majority

of the 76,000 Afghan evacuees who have been resettled were brought to
the U.S. under humanitarian parole, which - unlike refugee or asylum
status - does not automatically confer a path to a green card or
citizenship. Afghan parolees are granted two years of protection from
deportation and work authorization but no further access to status.
Hence, only five days before DHS announced the conclusion of the
resettlement process, veterans and immigration advocates gathered
outside the U.S. Capitol to call upon Congress to pass an Afghan
Adjustment Act

- legislation that would provide Afghan evacuees a path to permanent
status in the United States.

Congress has passed adjustment acts

in the aftermath of multiple prior evacuations, including for Cubans
fleeing the Castro regime in the 1960s, for Vietnamese and South Asian
refugees after the fall of Saigon in the 1970s, and Iraqis after
Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom in the 1990s.

****Biden Administration Recognizes Informal Marriages to Demonstrate
Spousal Relationships in Asylum and Refugee Claims****On February 14,
the Biden administration introduced a memorandum

to recognize informal marriages to demonstrate spousal relationships in
asylum claims and the refugee admissions process. The new policy allows
government asylum adjudicators to recognize the marriages of individuals
who are in committed life partnerships but who were unable to marry or
register their marriage due to restrictions in the law or practices of
their country of origin, including for individuals in same-sex,
interfaith, or stateless marriages. The memorandum marks a return to the
pre-2018 interpretation of a rule called the "place-of-celebration"
rule.

In 2018, the Trump administration had modified the place-of-celebration
rule

to limit the understanding of spousal relationships exclusively to
marriages valid under the law of the jurisdiction in which they were
performed.

****Federal and Local Officials Investigate Shooting of Migrant by U.S.
Border Patrol****On February 19, a U.S. Border Patrol Agent fatally shot

a Mexican man attempting to cross into the U.S. via the Arizona-Mexico
border. According to a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
statement
,
two agents from the Douglas Border Patrol Station Horse Patrol Unit
responded to reports of possible undocumented migrants in the area and
apprehended three undocumented migrants. The agents alleged one man
attempted to escape. One of them followed the man and shot

him while taking him into custody.

The incident initiated an investigation

from the Cochise County Sheriff's office and CBP to determine the
circumstances of the shooting. The Mexican consulate in Arizona
confirmed

the man's nationality and reported that five other Mexican nationals
were detained in a border patrol station. The Mexican Consulate also
highlighted that they are monitoring the investigation and are working
to find the man's relatives.

Some advocates have raised concerns

about prior federal investigations into CBP misconduct, noting that the
agency is often tasked with "policing itself" using CBP Critical
Incident Teams.

****Democratic Lawmakers Call on Biden Administration to Rethink
Alternatives to Detention (ATD) Surveillance Programs****On February 23,
25 Democratic members of Congress sent a letter

to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas asking him to
reduce the number of immigrants enrolled in surveillance programs first
introduced in 2004 as alternatives to immigration detention (ATDs).
There are a variety of different kinds of ATDs, including ankle
monitors, facial recognition check-ins via a smartphone app, periodic
in-person check-ins, or house arrest. All involve some form of
Immigration and Customs Enforcement supervision combined with freedom
from immigration detention.

The 25 lawmakers wrote the program needs to be reformed. They noted that
increases in ATD enrollments have not corresponded to decreases in
overall immigration detention and urged the Biden administration to
rethink the government's $475 million contract with a private company
managing the program.

In recent years, electronic monitoring devices have been increasingly
used

as ATDs. While less restrictive than immigration detention, ICE
officials have found them economical and effective for immigrants who
are not a flight or safety risk. The government has often found ATDs
appropriate to ensure that individuals waiting for immigration court
proceedings are subject to supervision by immigration authorities.

On February 8, Axios
 and Reuters
 reported
that the Biden administration would implement a new ATD involving a
home-confinement-and-curfew pilot program. The pilot is part of a
broader project by the Biden administration to reduce and ultimately end
the use of for-profit detention.

**GOVERNMENT REPORTS**There were no immigration-related government
reports the week of Monday, February 21, 2022.

**SPOTLIGHT ON NATIONAL IMMIGRATION FORUM RESOURCES****National
Immigration Forum Score Card on President Biden's First Year in Office**
In
advance of the State of the Union address on March 1, this score card
evaluates the Biden administration's progress on five overarching
principles and fifteen concrete policy priorities. It also provides
context and links for all the actions taken - or not taken - by the
administration. Each section concludes with a verdict summarizing the
progress made on each principle.

**Phone-to-Action to Protect Ukrainians in the U.S. and Prepare for
Ukrainian Refugees** This Phone-To-Action
campaign allows constituents to send an email to President Biden urging
him to protect Ukrainians in the U.S. and prepare for Ukrainian
refugees.

**Lighting the Beacon: A New Method for Setting Refugee Admissions
Levels**
This
policy proposal suggests setting an annual baseline for refugee
admissions at 10% of UNHCR's Refugees in Need of Resettlement (RINOR)
number - the estimated population of forcibly displaced people who are
most in need of permanent resettlement each year.

* * *

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

 

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