Numerous Hearings and the Possible Markup of a Bill Making Deep Cuts in FY '13 Funding for
Refugee Resettlement Highlight the Coming Week's Immigration- and
Refugee-Related Legislative Activity
By Micheal E. Hill
Friday, July 20, 2012 -- 5:15 pm EDT
Numerous hearings focusing on various aspects of immigration policy and the possible markup of a bill that would make deep cuts in refugee resettlement funding highlight the coming week's immigration and refugee legislative agenda.
There actually are five hearings scheduled for the coming week at which immigration-related matters could be examined, including one at which Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano is expected to testify on the future of homeland security, another focusing on the operations of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice, and other hearings on immigration attorney fraud and student visas at sham educational institutions. The hearing on the operations of the Civil Rights Division could be particularly contentious, airing such matters as the Department of Justice lawsuit against Maricopa County, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio; concerns about racial profiling in various states in the wake of their enactment of immigration enforcement laws that give their state and local police officials a role in enforcing federal immigration law; and actions in a number of states that civil rights activists contend are voter suppresion schemes.
At the time of this writing, only one markup is anticipated for the coming week that is likely to address immigration- or refugee-related matters. The bill that is the subject of that markup is the Fiscal Year 2013 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. The measure, which was approved by the panel's Subcommiteee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies on Wednesday, July 18, 2012, would cut fiscal year 2013 funding for the Department of Health and Human Services's refugee and entrant assistance programs by more than 14 percent relative to spending on those programs in fiscal year 2012 and by more than 18 percent relative to the Obama Administration's fiscal year 2013 budget request.
Other action impacting immigration policy that could occur at any time is the introduction by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX) of legislation that would provide additional immigrant visas to foreign graduates of American universities in high-tech fields and offset the increased visas by eliminating the Diversity Visa program. Additionally, the House and Senate at any time could take steps to formally begin to resolve differences between their respective versions of legislation reauthorizing and revising programs under the umbrella of the Violence Against Women Act. And the Senate could act in the next week or two on legislation extending four expiring immigration programs: the E-Verify System, the Conrad 30 Visa Waiver Program, the Special Immigrant Non-Minister Religious Worker Visa Program, and the EB-5 Investor Visa Regional Centers program.
On-the-Hill Activity
At the time of this writing, no floor action on immigration- or refugee-related matters, five hearings that could examine various aspects of immigration- or refugee-related policy and the markup of one measure that contains significant immigration- and efugee-related provisions is scheduled during the coming week.
The following lists some of the highlights of coming week's immigration- or refugee-related legislative-related action:
Floor Action
- No immigration- or refugee-related floor action scheduled.
Markups
- House Appropriations Committee Markup of FY '13 Appropriations Bill that Funds Refugee Resettlement and Unaccompanied Alien Children. The House Appropriations Committee could during the week of July 23 mark up its version of the Fiscal Year 2013 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill. Each year, the measure funds the operations of the Department of Health and Human Service's Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which administers the federal government's refugee resettlement, trafficking victim assistance, torture victim assistance, and unaccompanied alien child programs and functions. The version of the measure that was approved on July 18, 2012, by a panel Subcommittee would cut funding for Refugee and Entrant Assistance by more than 14 percent relative to spending on those programs in fiscal year 2012.
Hearings
- Senate Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing on Fraud in the Issuance of Student Visas. The Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees, and Border Security has scheduled a hearing for the week of July 23, 2012, titled, "Strengthening the Integrity of the Student Visa System by Preventing and Detecting Sham Educational Institutions," at which the panel is expected to examine a forthcoming Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on student visas. Testifying at the hearing will be John Woods, Assistant Director, National Security Investigations, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement; and Rebecca Gambler, Director, Homeland Security and Justice Issues, Government Accountability Office.
- House Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing on Immigration Attorney Fraud. The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement has scheduled a hearing for the week of July 23, 2012, titled, "The Aftermath of Fraud by Immigration Attorneys", at which the panel is expected to examine fraud by immigration legal services providers. At the time of this writing, the witness list for the hearing had not yet been announced.
- House Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing on the Evolving Gang Threat. The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security has scheduled a hearing for the week of July 23, 2012, titled, "Beyond the Streets: America's Evolving Gang Threat." At the time of this writing, the witness list for the hearing had not yet been announced.
- House Homeland Security Committee Hearing on Threats to Homeland Security. The House Judiciary Committee on Homeland Security has scheduled a hearing for the week of July 23, 2012, titled, "Understanding the Homeland Threat Landscape", at which the panel is expected the current state of homeland security. At the time of this writing, the witness list for the hearing had not yet been announced.
- House Judiciary Subcommittee Oversight Hearing on the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution has scheduled an oversight hearing for the week of July 23, 2012, on the operations of the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. While the witness list for the hearing had not yet been released at the time of this writing, it is anticipated that the witness for the hearing will be Tom Perez, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.
Conference
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House and Senate Searching for a Way to Get Differing Versions of Violence Against Women Reauthorization Bills to Conference. The Senate and the House of Representatives have each passed differing versions of legislation that would reauthorize and revise programs under the Violence Against Women Act. And action could occur at any time to move the two bodies towards resolving the differences between the two bills. The Senate passed S. 1925, the "Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2011", on April 26, 2012, by a vote of 68-31. The House passed H.R. 4970, the “Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2012”, on May 16, 2012, doing so by a vote of 222-205. Both measures contain significant immigration-related provisions, including a controversial provision in the Senate-passed version of the measure that would amend the definition of an aggravated felony under the Immigration and Natonality Act to include a third conviction for driving under the influence, a provision in the Senate-passed bill expanding the number of "U" Visas for alien victims of domestic violence, a provision in the Senate-passed measure charging a fee to all Diversity Visa applicants, and numerous provisions in the House-passed version of the legislation that would rollback current protections for alien victims of domestic violence.
"Off-of-the-Hill" Activity
In addition to "on the Hill" immigration- and refugee-related action that is scheduled for the coming week, a number of significant "off of the Hill" immigration- and refugee-related activities also are occurring.
The following lists several highlights of the coming week's "off-of-the-Hill" immigration- and refugee-related legislative-related action:
- Discussion on Human Trafficking. The The Johns Hopkins University Nitze School of Advanced International Studies has scheduled a discussion for the week of July 23, 2012, titled "U.S. Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report 2012: Findings and Recommendations." Participants in the discussion will include Luis CdeBaca, Ambassador-at-Large, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, Department of State.
- White House Daily Briefings. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney is scheduled to conduct daily briefings every day during the coming week, at which he will field questions from the White House press corps, including possible questions on immigration- and refugee-related matters.
Detailed Listing of the Likely Immigration Actions For the Week of July 23, 2012
Detailed Listing of the Likely Immigration Actions For the Week of July 16, 2012
Detailed Listing of the Likely Immigration Actions For the Week of July 9, 2012
Detailed Listing of the Likely Immigration Actions For the Week of July 2, 2012
Detailed Listing of the Likely Immigration Actions For the Week of June 25, 2012
Detailed Listing of the Likely Immigration Actions For the Week of June 18, 2012
Detailed Listing of the Likely Immigration Actions For the Week of June 11, 2012
Detailed Listing of the Likely Immigration Actions For the Week of June 4, 2012
Detailed Listing of the Likely Immigration Actions For the Week of May 28, 2012
Detailed Listing of the Likely Immigration Actions For the Week of May 21, 2012
Detailed Listing of the Likely Immigration Actions For the Week of May 14, 2012
Detailed Listing of the Likely Immigration Actions For the Week of May 7, 2012
Detailed Listing of the Likely Immigration Actions For the Week of April 30, 2012
Detailed Listing of the Likely Immigration Actions For the Week of April 23, 2012
Detailed Listing of the Likely Immigration Actions For the Week of April 16, 2012
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