This Week in Immigration- and Refugee-Related Legislation

Last Updated on Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 12:01 am EDT

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This Week on the Hill Archives

The Week of May 14, 2012 Full House to Take Up VAWA Bill that Rolls Back Protections for Battered Immigrant Women Full House to Take Up Border Tunnel Prevention Act House Could Face Refugee Amendments When it Takes Up Defense Authorization Act House Appropriations to Mark Up FY '13 Bill that Funds Immigration Enforcement and Service Agencies and Functions Senate Appropriations Panel to Mark Up FY '13 Bill that Funds Immigration Enforcement and Services Full Senate Appropriations to Mark Up FY '13 Bill that Funds Immigration Enforcement and Service Agencies and Functions House Appropriations Committee to Mark Up FY '13 Bill that Funds Refugee Admissions and Assistance House Foreign Affairs Panel to Hold Hearing on the Status of Refugee Camp in Iraq House Judiciary Panel to Hold Hearing on Bill Promoting Tourism and Business from Abroad to the United States Human Rights Commission to Hold Hearing on the Human Rights Situation in Vietnam House Homeland Security Panel to Hold Hearing on Department of Homeland Security Ethics This Week’s Hearings At the time of this writing, the following hearings were scheduled for this week at which significant immigration- or refugee-related matters are likely to be examined: Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Hearing on Human Rights in Vietnam:  The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission has scheduled a hearing for this week on the status of human rights in Vietnam.  Three panels of witnesses will testify at the hearing.  On Panel I will be Michael H. Posner, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.  On Panel II will be Dr. Robert George, Commissioner, United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.  And on Panel III will be Vo Van Ai, Founder and President of Quê Me: Action for Democracy in Vietnam; Mai Huong Ngo, wife of imprisoned Vietnamese-American Dr. Nguyen Quoc Quan; and Phu Do Nguyen, Vice President, Saigon Broadcasting Television Network (SBTN). The hearing is scheduled for 10:00 am EDT on Tuesday, May 15, 2012, in Room 340 of the Cannon House Office Building. House Foreign Affairs Panel to Hold Hearing on the Processing of the Camp Ashraf Residents:  The House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations has scheduled a hearing for this week on the processing of Camp Ashraf Residents.  The recently closed camp was an Iranian refugee outpost in Diyala province in northern Iraq that sheltered members of the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization, an alleged terrorist group that carried out raids in Iran. Members of the group are now being held in a processing center at a former U.S. military base in Baghdad.  Testifying at the hearing will be Daniel Fried, Special Adviser on Ashraf, Department of State. The hearing is scheduled for 2:30 pm EDT on Wednesday, May 16, 2012, in Room 2200 of the Rayburn House Office Building. House Homeland Security Subcommittee Hearing on DHS Ethics:  The House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations and Management has scheduled a hearing for this week on ethical standards at the Department of Homeland Security.  The title of the hearing is, "Department of Homeland Security: An Examination of Ethical Standards."  Testifying at th hearing will be Customs and Border Protection Acting Deputy Commissioner Thomas Winkowski; Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Professional Responsibility Assistant Director Timothy Moynihan; and Transportation Security Administration Office of Professional Responsibility Assistant Administrator James Duncan. The hearing is scheduled for 9:30 am EDT on Thursday, May 17, 2012, in Room 311 of the Cannon House Office Building.   House Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing on the Welcoming Business Travelers and Tourists to America Act of 2011: The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement has scheduled a hearing for this week on H.R. 3039, the "Welcoming Business Travelers and Tourists to America Act of 2011", which was introduced in the House of Representatives by Representative Joseph J. Heck (R-NV).  As introduced, the measure would "promote job creation in the United States by directing the secretary of State to address inefficiencies in the visa processing system that discourage overseas business and leisure travel to the United States, and for other purposes."  Two panels of witnesses will testify at the hearing.  Testifying on Panel I will be Representative Joseph Heck (R-NV).  Testifying on Panel II will be Janice Kephart, Director, National Security Policy, Center for Immigration Studies; Jessica Zuckerman, Research Associate, Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies, Heritage Foundation; and Edward Alden, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations. The hearing is scheduled for 1:00 pm EDT on Thursday, May 17, 2012, in Room 2141 of the Rayburn House Office Building.   This Week’s Markups At the time of this writing, the following markups were anticipated for this week that could have significant immigration- or refugee-related consequences: Senate Appropriations Subcommittee to Mark Up FY '13 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill: The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security this week will mark up its version of the Fiscal Year 2013 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill.  Each year, the Homeland Security Appropriations Act funds the federal government's border security, interior immigration enforcement, and immigration services adjudication functions. The markup is scheduled for 3:30 pm EDT on Tuesday, May 15, 2012, in Room SD-332 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building. House Appropriations Committee to Mark Up FY '13 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill:  The House Committee on Appropriations this week will mark up its version of the Fiscal Year 2013 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill.  Each year, the Homeland Security Appropriations Act funds the federal government's border security, interior immigration enforcement, and immigration services adjudication functions. The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security approved a draft version of the FY '13 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill on Wednesday, May 9, 2012.  It released a draft version of the committee report accompanying the measure on Tuesday, May 15, 2012. No amendments were offered to the draft measure during the Subcommittee's markup. The markup is scheduled for 10:00 am EDT on Wednesday, May 16, 2012, in Room 2359 of the Rayburn House Office Building.   House Appropriations Committee to Mark Up FY '13 Appropriations Bill that Funds Refugee Admissions and Overseas Refugee Assistance:  The House Committee on Appropriations has scheduled a markup for this week of the Fiscal Year 2013 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill.  Each year, the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill funds the federal government's refugee admissions, overseas refugee assistance, Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance (ERMA), and International Disaster Assistance (IDA) programs and functions.   The House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs approved a draft version of the FY '13 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill on Wednesday, May 9, 2012.  It released a draft version of the committee report accompanying the measure on Wednesday, May 16, 2012. No amendments were offered to the draft measure during the Subcommittee markup. The markup is scheduled for 10:00 am EDT on Thursday, May 17, 2012, in Room 2359 of the Rayburn House Office Building.   Senate Appropriations Committee Mark Up FY '13 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill:  The full Senate Committee on Appropriations this week is scheduled to mark up its version of the Fiscal Year 2013 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill.  Each year, the Homeland Security Appropriations Act funds the federal government's border security, interior immigration enforcement, and immigration services adjudication functions.  The Subcommittee markup of the measure is scheduled for Tuesday, May 5, 2012.  At the time of this writing, the Chairman's Mark of the measure had not been made publicly available. The full Committee markup is scheduled for 10:30 am EDT on Thursday, May 17, 2012, in Room SD-106 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.      This Week’s Floor Activity At the time of this writing, the following floor action was scheduled or possible for this week on measures  or matters that could have significant immigration- or refugee-related consequences: Full House to Take Up Border Tunnel Bill: The full House of Representatives this week is scheduled to take up H.R. 4119, the "Border Tunnel Prevention Act of 2012", a measure that would increase penalties associated with constructing or conspiring to construct illegal tunnels between the United States and Mexico; provide more tools to U.S. law enforcement agencies to detect and deter the building of such tunnels; and require the Secretary of Homeland security to report to congress annually on tunnels discovered along the U.S.-Mexican border during the preceding fiscal year, as well as on the Department's needs to prevent, investigate, and prosecute border tunnel construction along the border. The House Committee on the Judiciary approved H.R. 4119 on Tuesday, March 6, 2012.  It reported the measure to the full House of Representatives on March 21, 2012.  The measure has been referred to two additional committees: the House Committee on Homeland Security and the House Committee on Ways and Means, both of which have waived jurisdiction so the House can take up the measure. The House is scheduled to take up H.R. 4119 on Tuesday, May 15, 2012, under an expedited procedure that precludes floor amendments. Full House to Take Up Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Bill:  The full House of Representatives this week is scheduled to take up H.R. 4970, the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2012.  The measure is a House Republican Leadership-driven version of legislation reauthorizing funding for programs under the Violence Against Women Act.  Included in it are provisions that would make it more difficult for battered alien victims of domestic violence to obtain relief.   As approved by the House Committee on the Judiciary, H.R. 4970 contained significant immigration-related provisions, including a combination of some of the provisions that are in the Senate-passed version of S. 1925, the "Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2011", and some provisions that were in the failed Hutchison-Grassley Substitute to that measure.  While the House Judiciary Committee-approved version of the bill does not contain a provision, found in the Senate-passsed version of S. 1925, that would make three or more DUIs an aggravated felony for the purposes of determining an alien's removability, it contains a number of provisions that would rollback protections in current law for battered aliens.  It does, however, contain a number of provisions certain to be opposed by the pro-immigrant advocacy community, including provisions that would make it more difficult and risky for abused aliens to self-petition for immigration relief (Section 801); require that the crime embodied in the abuse is actively under investigation or prosecution (Section 802); require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to issue a report on possible fraud in petitions and self-petitions by abused aliens for U and T visas  (Section 805); repeal the provision in current law that makes it possible for "U" visa recipients to adjust to LPR status (Section 806); provide exceptions to confidentiality promised to trafficking victims in order to permit information sharing "for national security purpose[s]" (Section 811); require DHS to consider statements made by the abuser in cases where an abused alien is seeking (Section 812); a requirement that the GAO issue a report to Congress on the effectiveness of Section 802 (Section 813); and a requirement that in making determinations about whether the crime commited by an alien who is convicted of a domestic violence crime was a serious violent crime, officials can take into account arrest reports and other data (Section 814).  The House Committee on the Judiciary approved a Judiciary Commitee-amended version of H.R. 4970 on Tuesday, May 8, 2012, ordering it reported to the full House.  However, after the Committee acted, House Republicans proposed substantial changes to the measure, including changes to the bill's immigration provisions.  Those changes are embodied in an Adams Managers Amendment that the House Committee on Rules has decided to incorporate into H.R. 4970 prior to House floor consideration of the measure.  The White House has issued a veto threat against H.R. 4970, in part, because of the immigration provisions in the bill. The House is scheduled to take up H.R. 4970 on Wednesday, May 16, 2012. Full House to Take Up National Defense Authorization Bill: The full House of Representatives this week is scheduled to take up H.R. 4310, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013.  While the great bulk of the bill contains no immigration-related provisions, the measure does contain several provisions relating to the naturalization of servicemembers and the transfer of aliens from prison camps on Guantanamo Bay.  In addition, the measure could become the vehicle for amendments relating to Iraqi refugees and Special Immigrants. The House Committee on Armed Services approved H.R. 4310 on Thursday, May 10, 2012, ordering it reported the measure to the full House of Representatives.  The House is scheduled to take up H.R. 4310 beginning on Wednesday. May 16, 2012, and could continue its consideration of the measure through Thursday, May 17 and Friday, May 18. This Week's Conference Committee Activity No measures containing significant immigration- or refugee-related provisions are pending in conference committees. Off of the House and Senate Floors   At the time of this writing, the following "off of the floor" activity on immigration- or refugee-related legislative matters is anticipated this week: Discussion on a Market-Based Approach to Immigration Reform:  The Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution has scheduled a discussion for this week on "A Market-Based Approach to Immigration Reform".  The discussion is part of a larger program titled, "U.S. Immigration Policy: The Border Between Reform and the Economy."  Participants in the discussion will include Giovanni Peri, Professor of Economics at the University of California, Davis; Edward Schumacher-Matos, Professor of Journalism at Columbia University; Marschall Smith, Senior Vice President for Legal Affairs and General Counsel at 3M; Jorge Suarez, Director of Human Resources at Ocean Mist Farms; and Michael Greenstone, Senior Fellow and Director of The Hamilton Project.  The discussion is scheduled to begin at 9:45 am EDT on Tuesday, May 15, 2012, in the Ballroom at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Discussion on the Challenges and Opportunities for Immigration Reform in the United States:  The Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution has scheduled a discussion for this week on "The Challenges and Opportunities for Immigration Reform in the United States".  The discussion is part of a larger program titled, "U.S. Immigration Policy: The Border Between Reform and the Economy."  Participants in the discussion will Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE); Glenn Hutchins, Co-Founder of Silver Lake and Vice Chairman of The Brookings Institution; Janet Murguia, President and CEO of the National Council of La Raza; John Wilhelm, President of UNITE HERE; and Edward Alden, Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.  The discussion is scheduled to begin at 11:00 am EDT on Tuesday, May 15, 2012, in the Ballroom at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Remarks on the Economic Imperative for Immigration Reform: Cecilia Munoz, Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, this week will make remarks on "The Economic Imperative for Immigration Reform".  The remarks are part of a larger program titled, "U.S. Immigration Policy: The Border Between Reform and the Economy" organized by the Hamilton Project at the Brookings Institution. The discussion is scheduled to begin at 12:00 Noon EDT on Tuesday, May 15, 2012, in the Ball Room at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Release of Poll of Latino Voters in Battleground States: The American Federation for Children has scheduled a news conference for this week to release the results of a poll on Latino voters in battleground states. The news conference is scheduled for 2:00 pm EDT on Tuesday, May 15, 2012, in the Murrow Room at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Film Screening and Discussion: The Brookings Institution has scheduled a film screening and discussion for this week on "Harvest of Empire: The Untold Story of Latinos in America." The screening and discussion is scheduled to begin at 6:00 pm EDT on Tuesday, May 15, 2012, in the Washington, DC offices of the Brookings Institution. Press Conference on STEM Legislation:  Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Chris Coons (D-DE) have scheduled a telephonic press conference for this week on the Sustaining our Most Advanced Researchers and Technology (SMART) Jobs Act of 2012 which would allow foreign-born, American-educated holders of masters and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields to work in the United States via a new non-immigrant (F-4) visa.  Participants in the press conference will include Senators Alexander and Coons, as well as AOL Founder Steve Case. The event is scheduled for 9:30 am EDT on Wednesday, May 16, 2012. Press Conference on Violence Against Women Act:  House Democrats have organized a press conference for this week to express their support for the Senate-passed version of the Violence Against Women Act, and their opposition to the House Republican version of the measure.  Participants in the press conference will include House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), House Judiciary Committee Ranking Minority Member John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), and Representative Gwen Moore (D-WI). The press conference is scheduled for 1:45 pm EDT on Wednesday, May 16, 2012, in Room HVC-114 of the U.S. Capitol Building. Release of Report on Protection of LGBT Refugees in Uganda and Kenya:  The Human Rights Campaign has organized an event for this week to present a report titled, "The Road to Safety: Strengthening Protection of LGBTI Refugees in Uganda and Kenya".  Participants in the event will include Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration Anne Richard; Eleanor Acer, Director of Refugee Protection Program, Human Rights First; Joe Solmonese, President, Human Rights Campaign; Duncan Breen, Senior Associate for the Refugee Protection Program at Human Rights First; Larry Yungk, Senior Resettlement Officer with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; and Mark Bromley, Council Chair at the Council for Global Equity. The event is scheduled for 3:30 pm EDT on Thursday, May 17, 2012, in the Washington, DC offices of the Human Rights Campaign. Protest Rally:  The National Organization for Women has scheduled a rally for this week "to protest Rush Limbaugh and his verbal attacks on women, people of color, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community, immigrants and others who aren't like him." The event is scheduled for 12:00 Noon EDT on Friday, May 18, 2012, in Washington, DC. White House Daily Briefings:  White House Press Secretary Jay Carney is scheduled to conduct daily briefings every day, at which he fields questions from the White House press corps, including possible questions on immigration- and refugee-related matters. The White House Daily Briefings will take place in the White House's Brady Briefing Room when the President is in Washington.  They usually occur off-camera abord Air Force One when the President is traveling.