Immigration Bills

To allow the Secretary of the Treasury to accept public donations to fund the construction of a barrier on the border between the United States and Mexico and for other purposes.

To direct that certain assessments with respect to toxicity of chemicals be carried out by the program offices of the Environmental Protection Agency, and for other purposes.

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.