This Week in Immigration
This Week on the Hill
Week Beginning February 27, 2017
(Last Updated: February 28, 2017 at 8:15 pm EST)
ThisWeekInImmigration.Com's "This Week on the Hill" page lists the immigration-, human trafficking-, and refugee-related hearings, markups, and floor actions that either have been officially scheduled or that are anticipated to occur during the current week.
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U.S. House of Representatives
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U.S. Senate
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Bicameral
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Non-Governmental
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This Week's Hearings
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
- Hearing on FY '18 C-J-S Appropriations: The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies has scheduled a "Members Day" hearing for this week. The hearing is scheduled to take place at 10:30 am EST on Tuesday, February 28, 2017, in Room H-309 of the U.S. Capitol Building.
Anticipated Witnesses. At the time of this writing, the witness list for the hearing had not yet been published. However, the hearing is set aside for Members of Congress to testify about their fiscal year 2018 appropriations priorities for agencies, programs, and activities under the Subcommittee's jurisdiction.
Background. Among other things, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies has appropriating jurisdiction over the Department of Justice's immigration court system (EOIR) and the Department's Office of Immigration Litigation (OIL).
- Hearing on U.S. Foreign Policy in the Western Hemisphere: The House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere has scheduled a hearing for this week titled, "Issues and Opportunities in the Western Hemisphere." The hearing is scheduled for 2:00 pm EST on Tuesday, February 28, 2017, in Room 2200 of the Rayburn House Office Building.
Anticipated Witnesses. At the time of this writing, the witness list for the hearing included Ms. Sally Yearwood, Executive Director, Caribbean-Central American Action; Mr. Joseph M. Humire, Executive Director, Center for a Secure Free Society; Mr. Jose Cardenas, (Former Acting Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, U.S. Agency for International Development); and Mr. Peter Quilter, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.
Background. In announcing the hearing, Subcommittee Chairman Jeff Duncan (D-SC) signaled that he intends to address migration matters, specifically matters relating to border security and unaccompanied alien children.
Said Duncan upon announcing the hearing, “This hearing should provide Subcommittee Members with a comprehensive look at the lay of the land in the Western Hemisphere, and give us some food for thought as the new Trump Administration begins to reveal their priorities for 2017. I’m particularly interested in what our witnesses think policy priorities should be in Cuba and Venezuela, and in places that continue to receive large amounts of U.S. taxpayer funding like Colombia, Haiti and the Northern Triangle in Central America. Clearly, the Administration will need to work on the bilateral relationship with Mexico, but the United States is certainly right to seek to enforce our borders and protect our precious sovereignty.”
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
- Hearing on FY '18 DHS Appropriations: The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security has scheduled a "Members Day" hearing for this week. The hearing is scheduled to take place at 9:30 am EST on Wednesday, March 1, 2017, in a Room 2008 of the Rayburn House Office Building.
Anticipated Witnesses. The the hearing is set aside for Members of Congress to testify about their fiscal year 2018 appropriations priorities for agencies, programs, and activities under the Subcommittee's jurisdiction. At the time of this writing, the witness list for the hearing included Representatives Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Jared Polis (D-CO), Andy Bar (R-KY), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Neal Dunn (R-FL), and Sheila Jackson (D-TX).
Background. Among other things, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security has appropriating jurisdiction over the Department of Homeland Security, including the Department's Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) components.
- Hearing on FY '18 LHHS Appropriations: The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies has scheduled a "Members Day" hearing for this week. The hearing is scheduled to take place at 10:00 am EST on Wednesday, March 1, 2017, in a Room 2358-C of the Rayburn House Office Building.
Anticipated Witnesses. At the time of this writing, the witness list for the hearing had not yet been published. However, the hearing is set aside for Members of Congress to testify about their fiscal year 2018 appropriations priorities for agencies, programs, and activities under the Subcommittee's jurisdiction.
Background. Among other things, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies has appropriating jurisdiction over the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), which operates the federal government's refugee resettlement program, as well as programs to assist foreign-born torture victims, trafficking victims, and unaccompanied children.
Thursday, March 2, 2017
- Hearing on FY '18 Budget: The House Committee on the Budget has scheduled a "Members Day" hearing for this week. The hearing is scheduled to take place at 10:00 am EST on Thursday, March 2, 2017, in a Room 1334 of the Longworth House Office Building.
Anticipated Witnesses. At the time of this writing, the witness list for the hearing had not yet been published. However, the hearing is set aside for Members of Congress to testify about their fiscal year 2018 budget priorities.
This Week's Markups
No Scheduled Immigration-, Human Trafficking, or Refugee-Related Markups
This Week's Floor Actions
No Scheduled Immigration-, Human Trafficking, or Refugee-Related Floor Activity
This Week's Hearings
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
- Hearing on the Impact of "Lax" Immigration Enforcement on American Communities: The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs has scheduled a hearing for this week titled, "The Effects of Border Insecurity and Lax Immigration Enforcement on American Communities." The hearing is scheduled for 10:00 am EST on Wednesday, March 1, 2017, in Room SD-342 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
Anticipated Witnesses. The following witnesses are scheduled to testify at the hearing: Julie Nordman, Wentzville, Missouri; The Honorable Eric Severson, Sheriff, Waukesha County, Wisconsin; and Ryan Rectenwald, Chief Deputy of Special Operations, Grant County Sheriff's Office, State of Washington.
Background. The hearing is expected to highlight a number of issues, including the efficacy of utilizing state and local law enforcement agencies to enforce federal immigration law; the controversy over so-called “sanctuary cities;” and criminal aliens, generally.
Chairman Ron Johnson (R-WI) is likely to highlight what he will contend were “lax” border security and interior immigration enforcement policies of the Obama Administration and express support for the immigration enforcement policies of President Trump.
The lead witness at the hearing will be Julie Nordman, who is the survivor of a March 2016 attack at her home in Wentzville, Missouri that killed her husband, Randy. Charged with Mr. Nordman's murder is Pablo Antonio Serrano-Vitorino, an undocumented Mexican citizen who was deported from California in 2004, but who re-entered the United States illegally at some point afterward. In addition to the murder of Mr. Nordman, Serrano-Vitorino has been charged with committing four other murders in Kansas.
Prior to the murder of Mr. Nordman, Serrano-Vitorino had three encounters with law enforcement in Kansas but was released each time. He was arrested numerous times in California for both violent crimes, as well as for driving without a license, prior to his 2004 deportation.
This Week's Markups
No Scheduled Immigration-, Human Trafficking, or Refugee-Related Markups
This Week's Floor Actions
No Scheduled Immigration-, Human Trafficking, or Refugee-Related Floor Actions
Hearings and Briefings
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
- Trump to Address 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 8:35 pm EST on Tuesday, February 28, 2017, in the House Chamber.
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
- Hearing on Human Rights in China; The Congressional-Executive Commission on China has scheduled a hearing for this week titled, "The Broken Promises of China's World Trade Organization (WTO) Accession: Reprioritizing Human Rights." The hearing is scheduled for 1:00 pm EST on Wednesday, March 1, 2017, in Room SH-216 of the Hart Senate Office Building.
Anticipated Witnesses. Scheduled to testify at the hearing are Former Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA); Michael Wessel, President of the Wessel Group; James Mann, Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies; and Jeff Gillis, husband of American businesswoman Sandy-Phan-Gillis, detained in China for the past two years.
This Week's Activities
Monday, February 27, 2017
- Briefing on the President's Executive Action on Immigration and Refugees: The Arab American Institute (AAI) has scheduled a conference call briefing for this week to "provide analysis on the community impacts and legality of President Trump's anticipated executive action on immigration and refugees." The event is scheduled for 6:00 pm EST on Monday, February 27, 2017. Contact: Jennifer Salan at 202-429-9210 [email protected]. Note: Call-in, 515-604-9517; passcode, 843450
Anticipated Participants. Scheduled to participate in the briefing are Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI); James Zogby, president of AAI; Wade Henderson, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights; Farhana Khera, president and executive director of Muslim Advocates; Melanie Nezer, vice president for policy and advocacy at HIAS; Fahd Ahmed, executive director of DRUM; Jen Smyers, director of policy and advocacy at the Church World Service Immigration and Refugee Program; and Shoba Sivaprasad Washia, director of the Penn State Law School Center for Immigrants' Rights Clinic
Tuesday, February 28, 2017
- Panel Discussion on Immigration Reform: The Institute of World Politics has scheduled a panel discussion for this week titled, "Walls or Bridges? A Debate on U.S. Immigration Policy under Trump." The event is scheduled for 4:00 pm EST on Tuesday, February 28, 2017, at the offices of the Institute of World Politics, 1521 16th St. NW, Washington, D.C.. Contact: 202-986-2916 or 202-462-2101. Note: RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/walls-or-bridges-a-debate-on-us-immigration-policy-under-trump-tickets-31521935959
Anticipated Participants. Scheduled to participate in the panel discussion are Alex Nowrasteh, immigration policy analyst at the Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity at the Cato Institute; Matthew O'Brien, director of research at the Federation for American Immigration Reform; and Paul Coyer, research professor at IWP.
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
- Panel Discussion on Organized Crime in the Americas: The Woodrow Wilson Center (WWC) has scheduled a discussion for this week titled, "Migration, Trafficking, and Organized Crime in Central America, Mexico and the United States." The discussion is scheduled for 9:00 am EST on Wednesday, March 1, 2017, at the offices of the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, DC.
Anticipated Participants. Scheduled to participate in the panel discussion are Gretchen Kuhner, Director of the Institute for Women in Migration; Monica Salazar, Independent Researcher; Therese Couture, Data Analyst for Polaris; Celina Realuyo, Professor of Practice with the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies at National Defense University; and Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, Public policy fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center.
- Panel Discussion on Human Trafficking: The McCain Institute, the Prime Policy Group, and National Association of Counties (NACo) have scheduled a panel discussion for this week titled, "Understanding the Fight Against Human Trafficking in the 115th Congress." The discussion is scheduled for 4:00 pm EST on Wednesday, March 1, 2017, in Washington, DC.
Anticipated Participants. Scheduled to participate in the panel discussion are Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN); Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO); Jim McDonough, District 6 Commissioner in the Ramsey County, MN; and Melissa McKinlay, District 6 commissioner for Palm Beach County, FL).
Thursday, March 2, 2017
- Panel Discussion on Immigration Reform: The Bipartisan Policy Center has scheduled a panel discussion for this week titled, "Obstacles and Avenues to Immigration Reform." The event is scheduled for 10:30 am EST on Thursday, March 2, 2017, at a Capitol Hill location to be announced.
Anticipated Participants. Scheduled to participate in the panel discussion are Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC); former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, co-chair of the BPC Immigration Task Force; former Gov. Haley Barbour, R-Miss., co-chair of the BPC Immigration Task Force; and former HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros, co-chair of the BPC Immigration Task Force.
- Discussion on the Trump Administration and Immigration: The Catholic University of America has scheduled a discussion for this week titled, "Where do we go from here? A Catholic Legal Immigration Perspective Under the New Administration." The discussion is scheduled for 12:30 pm EST on Thursday, March 2, 2017, on the Campus of Catholic University.
Anticipated Participants. Scheduled to participate in the panel discussion is Patricia Zapor, Communications Director for the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc.