This Week in Immigration
Top Stories
Thursday, April 13, 2017
(Last Updated: April 13 2017 at 8:00 am EDT)
ThisWeekInImmigration.Com's "Top Stories" page presents a chronological listing and links to all of the site's write-ups on legislative and political actions on immigration-, refugee-, or human trafficking-related policy during the current Congress.
April 2017
April 10, 2017
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Congress Begins Two Week-Long Easter Recess But a Heavy Immigration and Refugee Agenda Could Be On Tap Upon Its Return: Both the House and Senate have departed Washington to begin two week-long Easter recesses. The Senate is scheduled to return to the Nation's Capitol on Monday, April 24th, while the House plans to resume its sessions one day later. Once back, the two chambers could immediately be thrown into a showdown between each other and with the White House over funding a border wall and funding increased defense and immigration enforcement spending that could force a shutdown of the federal government.
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April 9, 2017
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Secretary of State Tillerson, Ambassador Haley, and Senators Rubio, Cornyn, and Cardin Discuss Immigration & Refugee Policy and Politics During April 9th Sunday Public Affairs Programs: Notwithstanding the dominant coverage of the past week’s cruise missile attack that the United States launched against Syria, there still was plenty of discussion about other subjects during the April 9th Sunday public affairs programs, including a significant number of discussions about immigration and refugees.
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April 8, 2017
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Extensive Immigration Discussions Unlikely Given the Guest Lists on This Weekend's Sunday Morning Public Affairs Programs: Coverage of this past week's cruise missile attack that the United States launched against Syria will dominate this week's Sunday morning public affairs programs, leaving little room for discussions about other subjects, including immigration and refugees.
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April 5, 2017
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Senate Confirms Nominee to be Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security: The full Senate has confirmed President Trump's nominee to be Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security. Senate action confirming the nomination of Elaine C. Duke to the second-in-command position at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) occurred on Tuesday, April 4, 2017. The Senate confirmed the nomination by a vote of 85-14.
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April 4, 2017
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Senate Judiciary Committee Approves Trump Nominees to be Deputy Attorney General and Associate Attorney General: The Senate Committee on the Judiciary has approved presidential nominees to fill two subcabinet positions in the Department of Justice that have responsibility over the Department's immigration-related functions. The committee action occurred on Monday, April 3, 2017, in connection with the nominations of Rod J. Rosenstein to be Deputy Attorney General and Rachel L. Brand, to be Associate Attorney General. The Committee approved the Rosenstein nomination by a vote of 19-1]. it approved the Brand nomination by a vote of 11-9.
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April 3, 2017
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A Hearing Featuring Secretary of Homeland Security Kelly, Another on Border Fencing, and Committee Votes on Two Subcabinet Nominees to Positions that have Jurisdiction Over Immigration Matters Highlight the Week's Immigration- and Refugee-Related Agenda: The highlight of this week's migration-related activity will likely be Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly‘s testimony at a Senate hearing. Fireworks could ensue when freshman Senator Kamela Harris (D-CA) questions the Secretary about the Trump Administration's immigration enforcement policies.
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April 2, 2017
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McConnell Downplays Speculation that Funding for the Border Wall Could Result in a Government Shutdown During the April 2nd Sunday Morning Public Affairs Programs: The subject of immigration was only mentioned on one of the day's five venerable Sunday morning shows: FOX’s “Fox News Sunday” program, and it only came up briefly, in discussions about whether President Trump’s request for funds to construction of a wall between the U.S. and Mexico could result in a government shutdown.
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April 1, 2017
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Extensive Immigration Discussions Unlikely Given the Guest Lists on This Weekend's Sunday Morning Public Affairs Programs: Coverage of the multiple investigations into potential ties between President Trump's 2016 campaign and Russian intelligence operatives will dominate this week's Sunday morning public affairs programs, leaving little room for discussions about other subjects, including immigration and refugees.
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March 2017
March 30, 2017
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A Federal District Court in Hawaii Extends Bar on Implementation of Executive Order's Travel Ban and Refugee Admissions Pause Until Lawsuit is Resolved: A federal district court in Hawaii late last night dealt the most serious blow yet to President Trump's attempt to impose a 90-day long travel ban for travelers from six predominantly-Muslim countries, bar refugee admissions from all countries for 120 days, and reduce the number of refugees who may be admitted to the United States in the current fiscal year from 110,000 to 50,000.
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March 27, 2017
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A Hearing on Immigration Enforcement Policy, an Appearance by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Action on Several Nominees to Positions that have Jurisdiction Over Immigration Matters Highlight the Week's Immigration- and Refugee-Related Agenda: The highlight of this week's immigration- and refugee-related Congressional activity could prove to be a hearing in the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration an Border Security that promises to examine how the nation can "restore" enforcement of our nation's immigration laws.
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March 26, 2017
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Schumer, Brown, Kristol, Schultz, and Meadows Discuss Trump and Immigration During this Weekend's Sunday Programs: There was plenty of talk during the weekend's Sunday programs about immigration and refugee matters, with extensive discussions of the subjects coming from Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY), former Secretary of State George P. Schultz, Governor Jerry Brown (D-CA), Tea Party Chairman Representative Mark Meadows (R-NC), and journalist Bill Kristol.
Extensive Immigration Discussions Unlikely Given the Guest Lists on This Weekend's Sunday Morning Public Affairs Programs: Coverage of the demise of the Republican effort to "repeal and replace" the Affordable Care Act is likely to dominate this week's Sunday morning public affairs programs, leaving little room for discussions about other subjects, including immigration and refugees.
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March 20, 2017
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Consideration of a "Repeal and Replace" Health Bill that Impacts Noncitizens, a Hearing on DHS Staffing and Security Needs, and a Hearing on Border Security Task Forces Highlight the Week's Immigration- and Refugee-Related Agenda: House floor action on the GOP's controversial "repeal and replace" health care legislation and high profile hearings on a Supreme Court nominee, Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, and on unsubstantiated allegations that President Obama wiretapped soon-to-be-President Donald Trump are all likely to compete with one another for attention during what promises to be a frenetic week in Washington. Nonetheless, notwithstanding all that drama, there still is room on Capitol Hill for plenty of action during the week on immigration- and refugee matters during the week ahead.
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March 19, 2017
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March 15, 2017
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Three Federal District Courts to Hold Hearings in Lawsuits that Seek to Block Implementation of Trump’s Revised Refugee Admissions/Travel Ban Executive Order: Preliminary rulings could be handed down as soon as this week from any one of three courts that are holding hearings this week on lawsuits that are seeking to block the revised Executive Order on refugee admissions, immigration, and travel to the United States that the President Donald J. Trump signed last week.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Holds Up Vote on Deputy Attorney General Nominee: Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA) has informed the Trump Administration that he will not scheduled a vote in the committee on the President's nominee to be Deputy Attorney General until the Committee has received a briefing from the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) in the Trump campaign's dealings with Russia..
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March 13, 2017
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The Release of Trump's FY '18 Budget Blueprint, a Hearing on the Vetting of Immigration Benefit Applicants, and a Hearing on Fraud in K-1 Fiancé Visas Highlight the Week's Immigration- and Refugee-Related Agenda: Legislation to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act will take up most of the oxygen in the Capitol this week. However, plenty of immigration- refugee-, and homeland security-related action is occurring in Washington this week, as well.
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March 1, 2017
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Trump Paints Dystopian Picture of Immigrants and Immigration During His First Address to a Joint Meeting of Congress: In remarks that were peppered throughout with references to immigrants and immigration, President Donald J. Trump painted a dark, dystopian image of immigrants and immigration as he delivered the first address to a joint meeting of Congress of his presidency.
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February 2017
February 27, 2017
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Trump Expected to Sign Revised Refugee Admissions/Travel Ban Executive Order: President Trump is expected this week to sign a new executive order on refugee admissions, immigration, and travel to the United States. Should he do so, it is likely to completely replace the embattled refugee admissions/travel ban executive order that the President signed on January 27, 2017, and that has been tied up in litigation ever since.
Trump Likely to Touch on Immigration and Refugee Matters in His First Address to a Joint Meeting of Congress: President Donald J. Trump is scheduled this week to make his first address to a joint meeting of Congress. The Address is scheduled for Tuesday, February 28, 2017, in the House Chamber. The text of the Address was not available at the time of this writing. However, it is anticipated that the subjects of immigration and refugees feature prominently among the many other matters that he mentions during his Address.
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House Committee Establishes a Task Force on Denying Terrorist Entry into the United States: House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) last week announced the creation of a new Task Force on Denying Terrorists Entry into the United States. The panel will be comprised of five Republican and three Democratic Committee Members
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February 26, 2017
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Pelosi, McAuliffe, and Brennan Express Concerns About Trump Immigration Policies While Walker and Lewandowski Express Support During Sunday Program Appearances: Among those appearing on the February 26, 2017, Sunday public affairs programs were House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Representative Ruben Gallego (D-CA), former CIA Director John Brennan, and Governor Terry McAuliffe (D-VA), all of whom expressed concerns about President Donald J. Trump's immigration policies.
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February 25, 2017
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Immigration Discussions Likely Given the Guest Lists on This Weekend's Sunday Morning Public Affairs Programs: Given the guest lists on the coming weekend's Sunday public affairs programs, there is likely to be significant discussion about immigration and refugees during the February 26, 2016, Sunday public affairs programs.
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February 20, 2017
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Congress Begins Week-Long Recess having Done Little So Far on Immigration: After a week during which almost all of the action on immigration took place on the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, the House and Senate have begun a week-long recess. Both the House and Senate are not scheduled to return to the Nation's Capitol until Monday, February 27th.
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February 19, 2017
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Senators Menendez and McCain Express Concerns About Trump Immigration Policies During Sunday Program Appearance: White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus made appearances on three of the five Sunday, February 19th public affairs programs. However, notwithstanding the intense activity that the White House has been involved in on immigration and refugees during the first month of President Trump's term, Priebus was not asked a single question about the subjects during any of his appearances.
White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus Headlines This Weekend's Sunday Morning Public Affairs Programs: White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus makes appearances on three of the five Sunday public affairs programs this week and is likely to face questions on each of them about President Trump's immigration and refugee policies, including questions about the President's embattled refugee admissions/travel ban executive order.
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