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.

Friday, June 26, 2020

The U.S. Senate has passed legislation containing provisions that would deny or cancel visas to businessmen from China involved in persecuting freedom of expression in Hong Kong.  The Senate acted on Thursday, June 26, 2020, in connection with S. 3798, the “Hong Kong Autonomy Act”, passing the measure by unanimous consent.

Thursday, June 25, 2020

Friday, June 19, 2020

Introduced by Congressional Black Caucus Chair Karen Bass (D-CA) and cosponsored by 230 Members of Congress (all Democrats), the measure is a reaction to the deaths over the last several weeks of George Floyd and Rayshard Brooks at the hands of police officers in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Atlanta, Georgia, and the widespread protests and civil unrest that those killings have spawned. 

​While the measure has few explicit references to immigrants, it is believed that its provisions relating to federal law enforcement agencies and officers would apply to federal immigration authorities, and the measure deals with racial profiling at both the federal and local levels.

House Clears for the President's Consideration a Bill to Protect the Human Rights of Uyghurs 

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

Video of the House Floor Debate on the "Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020"

The full U.S. House of Representatives has passed legislation addressing the human rights situation facing Uyghurs in the People’s Republic of China.​  This week's House action occurred in connection with S. 3744, the "Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020",  Ignoring hints of a possible presidential veto, the House passed the bipartisan measure on Wednesday, May 27, 2020, by a vote of 413-1, clearing it for the President's consideration by a veto-proof majority.

The Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act was developed amid growing congressional frustration with what members on both sides of the aisle have perceived as President Trump’s unwillingness to make the human rights practices of foreign governments a priority, as well their perception that the President has been unwilling to challenge China, specifically, over its human rights abuses.

​As cleared for the President's consideration, S. 3744 would impose sanctions on foreign individuals and entities responsible for human rights abuses in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region and require various reports on the topic..

House Passes $3 Trillion COVID-19 Legislative Package Containing Provisions Providing Relief to Immigrants and other Migrants in the United States

Saturday, May 16, 2020

This week's House COVID-19 relief action occurred on Friday, May 15, 2020, in connection with  H.R. 6800 , the  "Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act or the HEROES Act".  The House acted late in the evening on Friday, passing the measure by a 208-199 vote after narrowly rejecting an effort to reverse one of the measure's key immigrant relief provisions.

As passed by the House H.R. 6800 contains provisions providing for the issuance of stimulus payments  to households that include unauthorized migrants; extensions of status for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) beneficiaries; extensions of expired and expiring employment authorization documents (EADs); roll-over of unused visas into future years; relief from detention for certain immigration detainees; heightened detention standards for immigration detainees; eased immigrant and nonimmigrant pathways for foreign-born medical professionals; access to COVID-19 testing and treatment without regard to immigration status; and remote naturalization oath.

Thursday, May 14, 2020

The Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act was developed amid growing congressional frustration with what members on both sides of the aisle have perceived as President Trump’s unwillingness to make the human rights practices of foreign governments a priority, as well their perception that the President has been unwilling to challenge China, specifically, over its human rights abuses.

​As passed by the Senate, S. 3744 would impose sanctions on foreign individuals and entities responsible for human rights abuses in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region and require various reports on the topic..

The full Senate this week passed legislation addressing the human rights situation facing Uyghurs in the People’s Republic of China.​  This week's Senate action occurred in connection with S. 3744, the "Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020",  The Senate passed the bipartisan measure by unanimous consent on Thursday, May 14, 2020.