Immigration Bills

The bill would prevent Community Oriented Policing Services Program (COPS) funding from being used to uphold “sanctuary policies,” which prevent law enforcement officials in local municipalities from investigating immigration status or reporting immigration violations to Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE). COPS is important to city, tribal, state, and other local law enforcement agencies because it awards grants used to update technology, hire and train police officers, and develop crime fighting strategies. Please see S.169 for the Senate Companion legislation.

H.R. 6412, the Attracting the Best and Brightest Act, would add 50,000 new visas to a new employment-based priority category for aliens who have a master’s degree or higher in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM), from a U.S. institution of higher education. Visas that are unused by the end of each financial year continue past the end of the year. The Department of Homeland Security has to publicly release a monthly report with details regarding the visas awarded under the new category.

To prohibit the implementation of certain policies regarding the exercise of prosecutorial discretion by the Secretary of Homeland Security.

S. 3217, the Startup Act 2.0, would would create 50,000 new STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) work visas for foreign students who graduate from a U.S. college with a master's degree or a Ph.D each year. The foreign students automatically earn 1-year work visa upon graduation and earn an additional 4-years if they are "actively engaged" at the end of the first year. At the end of the 5 year period, the foreign workers will be able for legal permanent worker status.

S. 3185, the Securing the Talent America Requires for the 21st Century Act (STAR) Act, would increase the number of high skilled STEM workers by 55,000 by eliminating the visa lottery. The bill also allows unused green cards allotted for STEM fields to be used in subsequent years. Furthermore, STEM master's degree holders can compete with U.S. workers immediately and receive a green card as soon as they are hired and Ph.D. holders receive a green card immediately.