Top Stories
Saturday, February 9, 2019
(Last Updated: February 9, 2019 at 8:00 am EST)
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.
February 2019
February 10, 2019
|
Consideration of a FY '19 Border Security and Consolidated Appropriations Agreement and the Confirmation of a New Attorney General Highlight the Coming Week's Capitol Hill Immigration and Refugee Action: The highlight of the coming week's immigration- and refugee-related legislative action is expected to be consideration of the much anticipated conference agreement on Fiscal Year 2019 border security funding. If reached, the agreement, will likely carry with it negotiated versions of all of the seven un-enacted Fiscal Year 2019 appropriations bills, If enacted, it will prevent another partial government shutdown that otherwise will occur at Midnight on Friday, February 15th.
|
February 8, 2019
|
House Passes "Victim-Centered" Anti-Human Trafficking Bill: The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday passed legislation intended to assist human trafficking victims by encouraging more victim-centered approaches to arrests, prosecutions, and the provision of services and assistance to persons who are or who may be the victims of human trafficking. Yesterday's House floor action occurred in connection with H.R. 507, the "Put Trafficking Victims First Act of 2019", The House passed the measure by a vote of 410-1, with the sole Member voting against it being Representative Justin Amash (R-MI).
|
February 6, 2019
|
It was More of the Same on Immigration for Trump in His Third Address to a Joint Meeting of Congress: President Donald J. Trump adhered to familiar themes on immigration during his second State of the Union Address, which he delivered on Tuesday, February 5th from the Chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives. The President devoted more than one-fifth of his Address to the subject, painting immigrants as criminals, drug traffickers, and job-stealers, And he renewed his oft-repeated demand that Congress fund the construction of a wall along stretches of the border between the U.S. and Mexico, Notably absent from his Address, however, was an announcement that he had repeatedly hinted at during the days leading up to Tuesday night; He did not announce that he was declaring a national emergency and commandeering previously appropriated funds so he could build his proposed wall.
|
February 4, 2019
|
Trump Likely to Stress Immigration in His Third Address to a Joint Meeting of Congress: President Donald J. Trump is scheduled this week to make his second State of the Union Address and his third address, overall, before a joint meeting of Congress. The text of his remarks was not available at the time of this writing. However, it is anticipated that he will use the occasion as an opportunity to continue the harsh rhetoric he has often employed against immigrants and immigration, generally, and to renew his call for the appropriation of funding for the construction of a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico.
|
February 3, 2019
|
State of the Union Address, Examination of the Administration's Family Separation Policy, and Deliberations on Border Security Funding Highlight the Coming Week's Capitol Hill Immigration and Refugee Action: The immigration- and refugee-related highlight of the week-to-come will be the delivery by President Trump of his second State of the Union Address, as well as the delivery by former Georgia State Representative Stacey Abrams of the official Democratic response.
|
February 1, 2019
|
Negotiators Stake Out Positions in First Meeting of House-Senate Conferees on Border Security Funding:
Senators and Representatives of both parties staked out their opening
positions but dealt with little substance during the first meeting of a
House-Senate conference committee that has been established to strike a
deal on border security funding. The meeting was held on Wednesday,
January 30th and was followed throughout the remainder of the week by
the preparation of a formal offer from House Democrats that rejects
President Trump's call for funding for a wall and a declaration from the
President that the whole thing was "a waste of time."
|
January 2019
January 31, 2019
|
House Armed Services Committee Oversight Hearing on Department of Defense Border Operations:
The House Committee on Armed Services held a hearing last week titled,
“Department of Defense’s Support to the Southern Border," during which
it examined the deployment of U.S. troops on the U.S. southwestern
border, as well as the President’s threat to declare a national
emergency as a way of diverting funds from the Department of Defense in
order to fund the construction of a wall along the U.S. border with
Mexico.
|
January 29, 2019
|
Conference Committee Working on Border Security Funding Schedules First Meeting: Formal House and Senate negotiations are set to begin tomorrow over the President's demand that Congress appropriate more than $8 BILLION in additional Fiscal Year 2019 funding for border security, a demand that famously includes a request for a $5.7 BILLION appropriation for construction of a wall along the border between the United States and Mexico.
|
January 28, 2019
|
House Passes Bill Mandating a Study of the Contribution of Cryptocurrencies to Human and Drug Trafficking: The full U.S. House of Representatives has passed a measure that would direct the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a study on the contributions that cryptocurrencies make to human trafficking. House floor action occurred on Monday, January 28, 2019, in connection with H.R. 502, the “Fight Illicit Networks and Detect Trafficking Act” or the FIND Trafficking Act”, which was introduced in the House by Representative Juan Vargas (D-CA).
|
January 28, 2019
|
A Sigh of Relief Can Be Heard in the Halls of the U.S. Capitol Complex as the House and Senate Face the First Calm Week of the 116th Congress: What initially looked like a light week of immigration- and refugee-related congressional activity suddenly turned heavy as the week dawned, with Democrats basking in the glow of the deal they cut late last week to reopen the shuttered departments, agencies, and functions of the federal government without having to appropriate a penny for the wall along the U.S. border with Mexico..that President Trump has demanded that they fund.
|
January 25, 2019
|
Congress Establishes a Process for Congressional Consideration of Trump Border Wall Funding Request: The House of Representatives and Senate on Friday passed differing versions of a short-term measure providing continued funding for the Department of Homeland Security. In actuality, though, Friday's floor action was intended more to provide a vehicle for Congress to negotiate a deal between itself and President Trump on border security funding.
|
January 25, 2019
|
Congress Clears Short-Term FY ’19 Continuing Appropriations Resolution Reopening Shuttered Federal Functions: Congress today cleared for the President’s consideration a short-term continuing appropriations resolution (CR) funding the shuttered operations of the federal government through February 15, 2019. The congressional action had the effect of re-opening the government without funding President Trump's proposed wall along the U.S. border with Mexico, an outcome that the President repeatedly asserted he would not accept..
|
January 24, 2019
|
House Passes Yet Another FY ’19 Continuing Appropriations Measure: The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday passed a short-term continuing appropriations resolution that would fund the operations of the shuttered departments, agencies, and functions of the federal government through February 28, 2019. Yesterday's House floor action occurred on Wednesday, January 23, 2019, in connection with H.J. Res. 28, a joint resolution making short-term continuing appropriations for Fiscal Year 2019 for the closed functions.
|
January 20, 2019
|
Trump Proposes “Compromise” that would Reopen Government, Fund Border Wall, and Enact Temporary Protections for DACA and TPS Beneficiaries: President Donald J. Trump yesterday proposed a plan to re-open the shuttered departments, agencies, and functions of the federal government. The President's plan would require Congress to appropriate $5.7 BILLION in Fiscal Year 2019 funds to construct 234 miles of a "steel barrier system" along the U.S. border with Mexico. It would, as well, require Congress to appropriate approximately $3 BILLION in additional Fiscal Year 2019 funds for other border security related projects and activities.
|
January 17, 2019
|
House Agrees to Two Pro-Immigrant Amendments in First Direct Floor Votes on Immigration During the 116th Congress: The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday agreed to two pro-immigrant amendments in the first direct floor votes on immigration today of the 116th Congress. Yesterday's House floor action occurred in connection with H.R. 268, a bill making supplemental appropriations for disaster assistance for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2019, The measure also would make continuing appropriations for the shuttered departments and agencies of the federal government, through February 8, 2019.
|
January 7, 2019
|
Funding Standoff Continues as House Passes FY ’19 “Minibus” Appropriations Bill That Senate Pledges to Ignore: The U.S. House of Representatives last week passed the first of two measures designed to halt the current budget impasse by providing full-year funding for eight shuttered federal departments and agencies for fiscal year 2019. Last week’s House floor action occurred on Thursday, January 3, 2019, in connection with H.R. 21, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2019, which the House passed by a vote of 241-190. Notwithstanding last week’s House action, however, the partial shutdown of the federal government seems no closer to being ended, given the President’s posture and assertions by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) that he does not intend to bring the House-passed measure before the Senate for its consideration.
|
January 7, 2019
|
Border Wall Funding Standoff Continues as House Passes Short-Term FY ’19 DHS Continuing Appropriations Resolution: The U.S. House of Representatives last week passed the second of two measures designed to halt the current budget impasse by providing short-term funding for the Department of Homeland Security through February 8, 2019. Last week’s House floor action occurred on Thursday, January 3, 2019, in connection with H.J. Res. 1, a Fiscal Year 2019 Department of Homeland Security short-term continuing appropriations measure (CR), which the House passed by a vote of 239-192. Notwithstanding last week’s House action, however, the partial shutdown of the federal government seems no closer to being ended, given the President’s posture and assertions by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) that he does not intend to bring the House-passed measure before the Senate for its consideration.
|
January 3, 2019
|
House and Senate to Convene First Session of the 116th Congress Amidst Border Security-Inspired Partial Shutdown of the Federal Government's Operations: The First Session of the 116th Congress convenes on Thursday, January 3rd, with Democrats holding a 235-199 majority in the House and Republicans holding a 53-47 organizational majority in the Senate.
Under normal circumstances, much of the work during the first few weeks of a new Congress centers on ceremonial and organizational activities. However, with more than one-fourth of the federal government shut down due to a dispute between Congress and the President over immigration-related funding priorities, policy matters -- and immigration policy matters, specifically -- have been thrust into the forefront of the opening days of this Congress. |