• If the Majority Leader is skilfull enough to assemble the 60 votes necessary to invoke cloture, he likely will then have to navigate a series of hostile amendents that opponents of the DREAM Act will offer to the bill.  To control that process, the Majority Leader has employed a tactic known as "filling the amendment tree."  Under that tactic, since no more than two amendments can be pending to a measure at any time, he has offered two placeholder amendments to the DREAM Act, filling up all of the "branches" on the possible "tree" of amendments to the bill, thus, blocking anyone else from offering any other amendments to it.

The full Senate could at any time take up its draft fiscal year 2011 consolidated omnibus appropriations bill, a measure that would appropriate $1.1 TRILLION to fund the operations of federal government through September 30, 2011, the end of fiscal year 2011.

• Division F, Homeland Security Appropriations.  The Homeland Security Division of the omnibus appropriations bill contains appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including its Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),  Customs and Border Protection (CBP), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) bureaus.
  

• Division K, State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs.  The State, Foreign Operations, and Related Agencies Division of the omnibus appropriations bill contains funding for the Department of State's Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM), which administers the federal government's Migration and Refugee Assistance (MRA) and Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance (ERMA) accounts.  Those accounts are responsibile for funding the United States refugee admissions and overseas refugee assistance programs.

• Division H, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies.  The Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Division of the omnibus appropriations bill contains funding for the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR).  This agency operates the federal governments refugee resettlement, trafficking victim assistance, torture victim assistance, and unaccompanied alien child programs.

• Division B, Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies.  The Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Division of the omnibus appropriations bill contains funding for the Department of Justice's Adminisrative Review and Appeals division, which operates the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), the nation's immigration court system.
  

• Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  The appropriation of $5.59 BILLION for Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) bureau, which the Senate Appropriations Commmittee says is $69 MILLION above the President's request and $156 MILLION above the fiscal year 2010 appropriation.  The appropriation for ICE includes an earmark of $75 MILLION for alternatives to detention, which the Committee says is $3 MILLION above the Administration's request. 

• ICE Removal Operations.  The ICE appropriation includes a $2 BILLION earmark for the identification and removal of criminal aliens and directs that the Department prioritize identification and removal of aliens based on the severity of their crimes.  The ICE appropriation also earmarks $5.4 MILLION to facilitate 287(g) agreements while providing that no funding can be used to continue a delegation of authority under section 287(g) to an entity that is in violation of 287(g) agreements.
  

• ICE Detention Operations.  The ICE appropriation includes a $2.583 BILLION earmark for detention and removal operations, including the transportation of unaccompanied alien minors.  The bill provides that ICE maintain a level of not less than 33,400 detention beds through the end of fiscal year 2011, provides that none of the funds may be used to continue any contract for the provision of detention services if the two most recent overall performance evaluations received by the contracted facility are less than "adequate."

• Customs and Border Protection.  The appropriation of $9.96 BILLION for the Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection (CBP) bureau, which the Senate Committee on Appropriations says is $147 MILLION above the Administration's request and $171 MILLION below the fiscal year 2010 appropriation.  The appropriation for CBP includes enough funding to fully fund 20,500 Border Patrol Agents, of whom 17,000 will be stationed on the Southwest Border.  The Committee contends that the number of Border Patrol agents funded in the bill is more than double the number of agents on border in 2004.

• Asylum and Refugee Applications.  The drect appropriation of $176.4 MILLION to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for processing applications for asylum or refugee status.

• E-Verify Program.  The direct  appropriation of $103.4 MILLION to USCIS for the operation of the E-Verify program.
  

• Migration and Refugee Assistance.  The appropriation of $1.685 BILLION for Department of State's Migration and Refugee Assistance (MRA) account, which funds both refugee admissions and overseas refugee assistance.  The Senate Committee on Appropriations contends that this is $79.6 MILLION above the President's request and equal to the amount appropriated for the MRA account in fiscal year 2010.
  

• Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance.  The appropriation of $45 MILLION for Department of State's Emergency Refugee and Migration and Assistance (ERMA) account, which is a no-year fund that is drawn-down from, as necessary, to meet emergency refugee needs.  In addition to appropriating $45 MILLION for fiscal year 2011 for the ERMA account, the bill would increase from $100 MILLION to S200 MILLION the maximum amount of money that can be parked in the ERMA account at any given moment, and it would permit the Secretary of State to draw funds from the account, easing current law that only permits the President to do so.

• Office of Refugee Resettlement.  The appropriation of $767.1 MILLION for the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee  Resettlement (ORR) for Refugee and Entrant Assistance, of which $10.814 MILLION is earmarked for trafficking victim assistance and $169 MILLION is earmarked for refugee social services.
  

• Executive Office for Immigration Review.  The appropriation of $319.4 MILLION for the Department of Justice's Administrative Review and Appeals division, most of which is for the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR).

• Immigration and Customs Enforcement.  The appropriation of $5.438 BILLION for Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) salaries and expenses and the appropriation of an additional $84.7 MILLION for ICE Automation Modernization;

• Customs and Border Protection.  The appropriation of $8.2 BILLION for Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection (CBP) salaries and expenses, the appropriation of an additional $347.6 MILLION for CBP Automation Modernization, and the appropriation of an additional $574.2 MILLION in CBP border security fencing, infrastructure, and technology;

• Asylum and Refugee Applications.  The drect appropriation of $176 MILLION to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for processing applications for asylum or refugee status;

• E-Verify Program.  The direct  appropriation of $103.4 MILLION to USCIS for the operation of the E-Verify program;

• REAL ID Hub.  A bar on funding for development of the system commonly know as the "REAL ID Hub," as well as a recission of $16.5 MILLION of previously appropriated funds for the "REAL ID Hub";

• The Senate this week could take up H.R. 847, the "James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act"  As passed by the House, the measure would establish a multi-billion program to compensate first responders and other victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States.  As passed by the House, the measure would provide compensation to persons regardless of their immigration status.  Attempts were made in the House to limit any compensation to noncitizens or undocumented aliens.  But those attempts were unsuccessful.  There was no word at the time of this writing whether similar attempts will be made in the Senate if the Senate takes up the measure.

• The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs has scheduled a hearing for this week on border security on Federal lands.

• The Supreme Court of the United States this week will hear arguments in a key employer sanctions case emanating from Arizona.

• Numerous discussion panels on border security- and immigration-related matters are being held this week either on or near Capitol Hill.
  
  

• on Thursday, December 2, 2010, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO)  released its estimate of the costs of S. 3992.  The CBO DREAM Act Cost Estimate contains mixed news.  On the one hand, the estimate projects that there would be a net increase in revenue during the ensuing ten-year period if S. 3992 is enacted into law and that its enactment would actualy reduce the deficit by $1.4 BILLION over the first ten years after it is enacted.  However, the estimate also projects that enactment of the measure would result in increases in the federal deficit during the subequent 40-year period. 
  
  Both proponents and opponents of the DREAM Act are likely to tout the portions of the CBO DREAM Act Cost Estimate that support their respective positions during the debates-to-come on the DREAM Act.

• Supporters of the DREAM Act -- both on and off of Capitol Hill -- expressed cautious optimism about the prospects for victory in the House.  Pro-immigrant advocates were flooding the Captiol switchboard with calls and engaging in actions in Members and senators' district offices in support of the measure.  Representative Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), who heads The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Immigration Task Force, said yesterday, "I'm encouraged because the obstacles appear procedural in nature — it's not the votes."  He went on to assert that "[w]e are still on track to pass the DREAM Act in the House, but we ran out of time to have a vote this week, so it looks like we will have it next week." 

• DREAM Act opponents in the House and Senate stepped up their preemptive efforts to defeat the measure by making floor speeches against it and circulating "Dear Colleague" letters opposing it.  In the Senate, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Jeff Sessions (R-AL) sent a letter to his colleagues opposing the measure.  The Sessions DREAM Act "Dear Colleague" letter charged that the bill "was poorly drafted, filled with loopholes and, by rewarding illegal behavior, will without doubt encourage future illegal immigration."  In the House, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Republican Lamar Smith (R-TX) sent a letter to his colleagues opposing the measure.  The Smith DREAM Act "Dear Colleague" letter charged that "[t]he Dream Act is a dream for those who have broken the law, but a nightmare for law-abiding and taxpaying Americans."

 
MicEvHill.Com has added a number of important documents to its "Top Immigration and Refugee Legislative Documents" page, including the official text of the latest version of the DREAM Act; a summary of the latest version of the DREAM Act that was prepared by Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL), the bill's author; the December 2, 2010, CBO Estimate of the costs of the DREAM Act; and "Dear Colleague" Letters from Senator Jeff Sessions and Representative Lamar Smith expressing their opposition to the DREAM Act.  -- Click Here to See the Most Recently Added "Top Immigration and Refugee Legislative Documents"

 
MicEvHill.Com has added a number of important documents to its "Top Immigration and Refugee Legislative Documents" page, including the text of H.R. 1751 and H.R. 6327, two different versions of the DREAM Act; the text of S. 1338, a bill requiring nonimmigrant students who come to the U.S. to study English to do so in accredited English instruction programs; the text of a release by Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Republican Jeff Sessions that lists ten criticisms of the DREAM Act; a DHS Office of Inspector General report on management challenges facing the Department of Homeland Security; the text of the Senate Amendments to H.R. 5283, the Help Haitian Adoptees Immediately to Integrate Act of 2010 or the HAITI Act; and much more.  -- Click Here to See the Most Recently Added "Top Immigration and Refugee Legislative Documents"