This Week in Immigration
This Week on the Hill
Week Beginning April 3, 2017
(Last Updated: March 31, 2017 at 11:45 pm 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, April 4, 2017
- Hearing on Border Security Task Forces: The House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Border and Maritime Security has scheduled a hearing for this week titled, "Defeating a Sophisticated and Dangerous Adversary: Are the New Border Security Task Forces the Right Approach?" The hearing is scheduled for 2:00 pm EDT on Tuesday, April 4, 2017, in Room HVC-210 of the U.S. Capitol Building.
Anticipated Witnesses. The following witnesses are scheduled to testify at the hearing: Vice Admiral Karl Schultz, Director, Joint Task Force—East, U.S. Department of Homeland Security; Chief Paul A. Beeson, Commander, Joint Task Force—West, U.S. Department of Homeland Security; Ms. Janice Ayala, Director, Joint Task Force—Investigations, Homeland Security Investigations, Department of Homeland Security; and Ms. Rebecca Gambler, Director, Homeland Security and Justice Issues, U.S. Government Accountability Office.
Background. In announcing the hearing, Subcommittee Chair Martha McSally (R-AZ) wrote, "Mexican drug cartels are a sophisticated adversary that continue to use advanced and novel tactics to move illicit drugs across the border. DHS should develop a counter-network approach that degrades and dismantles the cartel organization through the use of coordinated intelligence that leads to interdiction and ultimately the prosecution of cartel leadership This hearing will examine the Department of Homeland Security’s counter network strategy and the recently authorized border security joint task forces that aim to better coordinate DHS’s efforts to secure the border."
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
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
- Hearing on Fencing Along the U.S. Border with Mexico: The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs has scheduled a hearing for this week titled, "Fencing Along the Southwest Border." The hearing was originally scheduled to take place on Wednesday, February 1, 2017. It has been rescheduled for 9:30 am EDT Tuesday, April 4, 2017, in Room SD-342 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
Anticipated Witnesses. Scheduled to testify at the previously scheduled hearing were David Aguilar, Former Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Department of Homeland Security; Ronald Colburn, Former Deputy Chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Department of Homeland Security; and Terence Garrett, Professor and Chairman of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley's Public Affairs and Security Studies Department.
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
- Hearing on Border Security and Public Safety: The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs has scheduled a hearing for this week titled, "Improving Border Security and Public Safety." The hearing is scheduled for 9:30 am EDT on Wednesday, April 5, 2017, in Room SD-342 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
Anticipated Witnesses. The sole witness at the hearing will be Secretary of Homeland Security John F. Kelly.
Thursday, April 6, 2017
- Hearing on the U.S. Southern and Northern Commands: The Senate Committee on Armed Services has scheduled a hearing for this week on the United States Southern Command and United States Northern Command. The hearing is scheduled for 9:30 am EDT on Thursday, April 6, 2017, in Room SD-G50 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
Anticipated Witnesses. Scheduled to testify at the hearing are Navy Adm. Kurt Tidd, Commander of the U.S. Southern Command; and Air Force Gen. Lori Robinson, Commander of the U.S. Northern Command and Commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command.
This Week's Markups
Monday, April 3, 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 10:00 am EDT on Monday, April 3, 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