This Week in Immigration
This Week on the Hill
Week Beginning March 27, 2017
(Last Updated: March 27, 2017 at 9:17 am EDT)
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, March 28, 2017
- Hearing on the U.S. Foreign Assistance Budget: The House committee on Foreign Affairs has scheduled a hearing for this week titled, "The Budget, Diplomacy, and Development," that will focus on the president's recent budget proposal and its impact on U.S. foreign assistance.The hearing is scheduled for 10:00 am EDT on Tuesday, March 28, 2017, in Room 2172 of the Rayburn House Office Building.
Anticipated Witnesses. At the time of this writing, the witness list of the hearing included Stephen Krasner, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution; Danielle Pletka, Senior Vice President for Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute; and former Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs R. Nicholas Burns, Family Professor of Diplomacy and International Relations with the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government.
- Hearing on Immigration Enforcement: The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security has scheduled a hearing for this week titled, "Restoring Enforcement of our Nation's Immigration Laws." The hearing is scheduled for 10:30 am EDT on Tuesday, March 28, 2017, in Room 2141 of the Rayburn House Office Building.
Anticipated Witnesses. Testifying at the hearing will be Thomas Hodgkin, Sheriff of Bristol County, MA; Art Arthur, Former Immigration Judge and a former Counsel to the House Committee on Government Reform and Oversight and the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Claims; Jessica Vaughan, Director of Policy Studies, Center for Immigration Studies; and Archi Pyati, Director of Public Policy, Tahirih Justice Center.
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
- Hearing on FY '18 Appropriations for the Department of Health and Human Services: The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies has scheduled a hearing for this week to examine the President' FY '18 budget request for the Department of Health and Human Services. The hearing is scheduled for 10:00 am EDT on Wednesday, March 29, 2017, in Room 2358-C of the Rayburn House Office Building.
Anticipated Witnesses. The sole witness who is scheduled to testify at the hearing is Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price.
- Hearing on Terrorism in North Africa: The House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence has scheduled a hearing for this week titled, "Terrorism in North Africa: An Examination of the Threat." The hearing is scheduled for 10:00 am EDT on Wednesday, March 29, 2017, in Room HVC-210 of the Capitol Visitors Center.
Anticipated Witnesses. At the time of this writing, the witness list for the hearing had not yet been announced.
This Week's Markups
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
- Markup of Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act: The House Committee on Foreign Affairs has scheduled a business meeting for this week, during which it will mark up a number of measures, including H.R. 390, the "Iraq and Syria Genocide Emergency Relief and Accountability Act". The meeting is scheduled for 10:30 am EDT on Wednesday, March 29, 2017, in Room 2172 of The Rayburn House Office Building.
This Week's Floor Actions
No Scheduled Immigration-, Human Trafficking, or Refugee-Related Floor Activity
This Week's Hearings
Wednesday, March 29, 2017
- Hearing on U.S.-Mexico Relations: The Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women's Issues has scheduled a hearing for this week titled, "The U.S.-Mexico Relationship: Advancing Security and Prosperity on Both Sides of the Border," The hearing is scheduled for 10:15 am EDT on Wednesday, March 29, 2017, in Room SD-419 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
Anticipated Witnesses. Scheduled to testify at the hearing are Former Governor Bill Richardson (D-NM) and Roger Noriega, Visiting Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
Thursday, March 30, 2017
- Hearing on U.S. Foreign Policy: The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations has scheduled a hearing for this week titled, "The Road Ahead: U.S. Interests, Values, and the American People." The hearing is scheduled for 10:00 am EDT on Thursday, March 30, 2017, in Room SD-419 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
Anticipated Witnesses. Scheduled to testify at the hearing are former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and
former National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley.
This Week's Markups
Monday, March 27, 2017
- Vote on the Administration's Nominees to be Deputy Attorney General and Associate Attorney General: The Senate Committee on the Judiciary has scheduled a business meeting for this week to consider the nominations of Rod J. Rosenstein to be Deputy Attorney General and Rachel L. Brand, to be Associate Attorney General. Also scheduled for consideration during the meeting is the nomination of Neil M. Gorsuch to be Associate Justice to the Supreme Court of the United States. The meeting is scheduled for 12:00 Noon EDT on Monday, March 27, 2017, in Room SD-226 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
Background on Deputy Attorney General. The Deputy Attorney General is the second-highest-ranking official in a Department of Justice. He or she oversees the day-to-day operation of the Department, and may act as Attorney General during the absence of the Attorney General.
From an immigration perspective, the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR) reports to the Deputy Attorney General.
Background on Associate Attorney General. The Associate Attorney General is the third-ranking official in the U.S. Department of Justice. The Associate Attorney General advises and assists the Attorney General and the Deputy Attorney General in policies relating to civil justice, federal and local law enforcement, and public safety matters. It oversees a number of entities within the Department.
From an immigration perspective, the position oversees the Office of Immigration Litigation (OIL) and the Community Relations Service.
Outlook. At the time of this writing, no organized opposition to either of the nominations had emerged.
This Week's Floor Actions
At the time of this writing, no measures containing significant immigration-, refugee-, or human trafficking-related provisions and none that are likely to be targets for floor amendments on those subjects were scheduled for Senate floor consideration this week. However, the nature of the Senate is that measures or nominations can be brought before the full body with little notice.
The following measures items have either been passed by the House or have been approved by Senate committees and are likely candidates for consideration soon by the full Senate:
The following measures items have either been passed by the House or have been approved by Senate committees and are likely candidates for consideration soon by the full Senate:
- Senate Floor Consideration of Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Nomination: The full Senate could at any time take up the nomination of Elaine C. Duke to be Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security. The nomination was approved by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on Wednesday, March 15, 2017. by a voice vote, with only one senator, Senator Kamela Harris (D-CA), voting against the nomination.
Background. The Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security is the chief operating officer of the Department, with responsibility for managing the Department’s day-to-day operations.
From an immigration perspective, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) components all report to the Deputy Secretary, as does the Office of Policy and Office of Immigration Statistics.
Parliamentary Situation. At the time of this writing, the precise parliamentary situation that will govern Senate floor consideration of the Duke nomination was not yet known.
Senate Democrats have heretofore forced the Senate to vote on cloture on most of President Trump's nominees. Under the rules of the Senate, it takes the affirmative votes of 51 senators to invoke cloture (thus end the debate and force an eventual vote) on most nominations. Should a vote on cloture in relation to a nomination be necessary and cloture is invoked, opposing senators are then able to force the Senate to endure ten hours of debate on the nomination before the Senate votes on it.
It was unclear at the time of this writing whether Democrats will force an extended debate on the Duke nomination.
Outlook. At the time of this writing, no organized opposition to Ms. Duke's nomination had emerged.
As passed by the House, H.R. 1301 would provide for a total appropriation of $577.9 billion for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2017., including , $61.8 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO). Its expenditures fall within the budget caps negotiated between the House and Senate last year, and it is a product that was negotiated between House and Senate appropriators, based largely on bills that were moved in those chambers last year during the 114th Congress.
Parliamentary Situation. At the time of this writing, the precise parliamentary situation that will govern Senate floor consideration of H.R. 1301 was not yet known.
Summary of Immigration Provisions. As passed by the House, H.R. 1301 does not contain any significant immigration-, refugee-, or human trafficking-related provisions. However, in the unlikely event that parliamentary procedures permit floor amendments to be offered to the bill on the House floor, the bill could become a target for amendments on those subjects during floor consideration.
Background. As a general rule, defense appropriations bills do not contain significant immigration-, refugee-, or human trafficking-related provisions at the time they are approved by the Committee on Appropriations. It is not unusual, however, for amendments relating to those subjects to be offered to a Defense Appropriations bill during floor consideration of the measure.
The House-passed version of the measure does not contain any significant immigration-, refugee-, or human trafficking-related provisions. Indeed, missing from it is a significant immigration-related provision that was contained in H.R. 5293, the FY '17 Department of Defense Appropriations Act that the House passed during the 114th Congress but that died at the end of that Congress. That provision, added on the House floor by an amendment offered by Representative Bradley Byrne (R-AL), would have barred Department of Defense funding for being used to house unaccompanied alien children at a Department of Defense facility.
Possible Immigration- or Refugee-Related Floor Amendments. At the time of this writing, it was not known what, if any, amendments will be permitted to be offered to the bill on the Senate floor. However, it is believed that the Leadership will seek to negotiate a unanimous consent agreement that precludes offering such amendments to the measure.
Outlook. At the time of this writing, no opposition to the measure had emerged.
Hearings and Briefings
No Scheduled Immigration-, Human Trafficking, or Refugee-Related Events
This Week's Activities
No Scheduled Immigration-, Human Trafficking, or Refugee-Related Events