Hearings
Final Immigration Hearings of 2014 Preview More Gridlock in 114th Congress
When the 113th Congress kicked off nearly two years ago, hopes were high that this would be the Congress to pass lasting immigration reform. “I think a comprehensive approach is long overdue, and I’m confident that the president, myself, others, can find the common ground to take care of this… Read More
Committee Fails to Question Legality of President’s Immigration Executive Action
The House Judiciary Committee held a held a hearing Tuesday on President Obama’s recent Immigration Accountability Executive Action, focusing on the administration’s executive action that defers deportation for the parents of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. Known as the Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) program, this… Read More
Homeland Security Secretary Makes the Case for Immigration Actions in House Hearing
There are two competing and politically charged narratives about President Obama’s executive actions on immigration and what they mean for U.S. security and the U.S. economy. One of these narratives maintains that the President’s decision to defer deportations of many unauthorized parents of U.S. citizens and Lawful Permanent Residents… Read More
Congress and Obama Plan Their Next Moves on Immigration
Although Congressional Republicans will not take control of both chambers of Congress until next year, the new power structure is leading to more aggressive attacks against President Obama’s plan for executive action. President Obama has said he will offer a temporary fix to help some undocumented immigrants remain in the… Read More
Central American Children’s Testimony Humanizes Debate Around Unaccompanied Minors
Members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus convened a hearing in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday to add another dimension to the the ongoing debate around unaccompanied children from Central America arriving in large numbers at our southern border. Three children, who were once unaccompanied minors from Honduras, Guatemala,… Read More
House Hearing Exploits Children’s Misery, Highlights Ideological Differences
In the last week before the August recess, House and Senate members are trying to finalize vastly different bills that would provide additional funding to address the government agency needs associated with the influx of unaccompanied children crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. The House’s $659 million bill falls short… Read More
Senate Hearing Debates Enforcement-Focused Solution to Humanitarian Challenge
On Thursday, the Senate Appropriations Committee held a hearing on the Administration’s emergency request for $3.7 billion to address the humanitarian situation as children and families flee violence in Central America. While the committee nominally addressed only the funding request, the president’s stated intention to ask… Read More
Congress Needs Reminding of Unaccompanied Migrant Children’s Plight
The House Judiciary Committee’s June 25 hearing was supposed to be about the recent surge in the numbers of unaccompanied child migrants from Central America who are arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border. Had this really been the subject of the hearing, the topic of escalating gang violence… Read More
Not All Members of Congress Recognize the Nation’s Role in Protecting Unaccompanied Minors
The House Committee on Homeland Security held a hearing today entitled, “Dangerous Passage: The Growing Problem of Unaccompanied Children Crossing the Border.” Committee members questioned the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Jeh Johnson on the growing humanitarian crisis at our southern border. Thousands of children from Central America… Read More
Shake up at Customs and Border Protection Continues
News outlets are reporting the removal of Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) head of internal affairs, James Tomscheck—who has been temporarily replaced by a director of inspections from the Federal Bureau of Investigations. This was a follow-up to last week’s release of the enforcement agency’s new use-of-force… Read More
All gifts are matched dollar for dollar
No one should face the immigration system alone