Monday, July 27, 2020

After a busy week last week, during which Congress took up and passed six immigration- or refugee-related bills, Congress moves into overdrive during the week ahead.   Together, the House and Senate will hold numerous hearings that either focus or touch on immigration or refugee law and policy during the week of July 27th.  And one chamber of Congress plans to take up three of the four regular appropriations bills that fund  the federal government's immigration-, refugee-, border security-, and interior immigration enforcement-related agencies, programs, functions, and activities during the week.  

Almost all of the immigration and refugee-related work taking place in front of the cameras this week is occurring in the House.  However, behind the scenes, Senate Republicans in the coming week are expected to decide whether to treat the immigrant and refugee communities equitably in the next traunch of COVID-19 relief legislation they are putting together.  And immigration policymakers and stakeholders await a promised executive action on immigration that could address the legal immigration system and the fate of DACA beneficiaries..

As far as the week beginning July 27th is concerned, from the perspective of those interested in migration policy, the week's legislative schedule includes seven hearings (six of which are occurring in the House); no substantive markup sessions, and floor action on as many as five bills (all in the House) that contain substantial immigration- or refugee-related provisions.

Saturday, July 25, 2020

Monday, July 20, 2020

Friday, July 17, 2020

Monday, July 13, 2020

The full U.S. House of Representatives and full U.S. Senate wrap up their respective two week-long Independence Day recesses at the end of the week ahead.  However, several House committees have remained in Washington during the recess and are conducting significant business, including significant immigration- and refugee-related legislative activity. 

The principal action in Congress in the week ahead week will be the continued production by the House Committee on Appropriations of the twelve regular fiscal year 2021 appropriations bills that fund the discretionary operations of the federal government, readying those measures for House floor action when the full House returns to legislative session beginning on July 20th. 
With respect to the four regular appropriations bills that fund the nation's migration-related departments, agencies, functions, programs, and activities, the House Committee on Appropriations approved one of them on Thursday, July 9th, and it is scheduled to produce the other three during the week ahead.  ​

As far as the week beginning July 13th is concerned, from the perspective of those interested in immigration, refugee, homeland security, or human trafficking policy, the week's legislative schedule includes two hearings (both occurring in the House); three markup sessions (all occurring in the House); and no floor action that either will or could touch on one or more of those subjects.

Little Discussion about Immigration Occurred on This Weekend's  Sunday Morning 
​Public Affairs Programs

Sunday, July 12, 2020

Click the Play Button, above, to see excerpts of instances in which the subjects of immigration or xenophobia were discussed during the July 12, 2020, Sunday public affairs programs.

For the third consecutive week, news coverage of the intensifying COVID-19 pandemic and of the 2020 presidential campaign crowded out coverage of almost any other issue on the five top Sunday public affairs news programs, leaving little room for any discussions or comments about immigration, refugees, xenophobia on the July 12, 2020 editions of those programs.

The only mentions alluding to immigration, immigrants, or xenophobia during the programs this week came from the panel on FOX's Fox News Sunday, which commented on President Trump's confusing announcement on a forthcoming executive action he plans to take on immigration and DACA; and NBC's Kristen Welker, who commented on President Trump's base's support for building the wall.

​A summary of the discussions that took place during the July 12, 2020, editions of the Sunday morning public affairs programs, along with a link to video of those discussions, follows:

President Trump Promises a Forthcoming Executive Action on Immigration and DACA

Saturday, July 11, 2020

Click the Play Button, above, to see video of President Trump's remarks.​

President Trump on Friday floated a somewhat confusing picture of an executive action on immigration he is considering taking in the coming weeks.  At times he called the forthcoming action as a bill that he would sign.  At other times he referred to it as an executive order.  And at still other times he referred to it as an executive order bill.  The President also at times suggested that the action would include a "road to citizenship" for individuals protected by the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.  But he also in the same sentence indicated that the action would not include any protections for persons currently protected by DACA.  The President's remarks were made during a wide-ranging Friday, July 10, 2020, interview with Telemundo's Jose Diaz-Balart.  The exchange between them on immigration was previewed Friday evening on MSNBC's "Meet the Press Daily,"

In the exchange with Diaz-Balart on immigration, President Trump alternately said  that he is about to sign either "a big immigration bill" or a "big executive order" or a "major immigration bill as an executive order" that will give DACA beneficiaries "a road to citizenship," a power that he erroneously contended the Supreme Court had just given him.

In the excerpt, the President contends of DACA and his promised executive action, "we will put it in" and then "we are probably then going to be taking it out," explaining that "we are working out the legal complexities right now."

Saturday, July 11, 2020

Late on Friday, President Trump floated the idea that he may take a "big" action on immigration and DACA in the coming weeks.  By the time he floated that idea, however, the guest lineups for most of the coming Sunday public affairs programs had already been set.  And so it is doubtful whether there will be room on the programs to discuss that matter.

Indeed, given what was known at the time of this writing about the guest lineups of the programs, it looks like for the third week in a row, extensive discussions about immigration, refugees, or xenophobia will be scarce-to-non-existent during the coming weekend's Sunday public affairs programs.
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A sneak peek at the guest lists for the upcoming July 12, 2020, editions of each of the five major broadcast and cable Sunday public affairs programs appears after the jump, along with previews of the likely or possible discussions on those programs about immigration and, refugees.

Monday, July 6, 2020

A House panel has approved substantial coronavirus-related increases in funding for refugees, aimed principally at overseas refugee and overseas humanitarian assistance, The refugee-related spending provisions include more-or-less level base funding for those areas.  However, they include a total of $2.25 BILLION of additional coronavirus-related funding.

Other highlights of the spending measure include an extension and expansion of a program that has permitted Afghan translators who helped the United States during the war there to immigrate to the United States and receive refugee benefits; continuation of language from previous years barring a reorganization of the bureau that administers the Department of State's refugee admissions and overseas refugee assistance programs; and a one year-long extension of a program that provides a relaxed adjudicatory standard for religious minorities in the former Soviet Union and Iran seeking admission to the United States as refugees.

Action on Fiscal Year 2021 refugee spending occurred on Monday, July 6, 2020, in connection with the Fiscal Year 2021 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill, which funds the federal government's foreign policy and international humanitarian operations.  The measure was approved by the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Program by a voice vote, during which the Subcommittee entertained no amendments.

Monday July 6, 2020

The full U.S. House of Representatives and full U.S. Senate have departed the nation's capitol for their respective two week-long Independence Day recesses.  However, in an unusual move, they have left House committees behind to hold hearings and markups. 

The principal action in Congress during the next two weeks will be production by the House Committee on Appropriations of the twelve regular fiscal year 2021 appropriations bills that fund the discretionary operations of the federal government,readying those measures for House floor action when Congress returns on July 20th.  This will include production of the four regular appropriations bills that fund the nation's migration-related departments, agencies, functions, programs, and activities,