A group of Senators led by Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) sent a letter to DHS Secretary John Kelly asking him to use his authority granted by Congress to increase the H-2B visa cap. In May, Congress passed the provision that would allow for another 70,000 visas to be issued in the current fiscal year.
During Pres. Obama’s eight-year administration 141,91 illegal aliens were given citizenship and work permits through the U Visa program, despite the 10,000 per year cap. During Obama’s first term 63,000 U visa requests were approved and 78,637 were approved during his second term which means that they approved around 62,000 additional U visas over the cap limit.
The Supreme Court unanimously reversed the temporary injunction that was placed on President Donald Trump's March immigration executive order earlier today. The order paused the refugee resettlement program for 120 days and the entrance of most nationals from six countries identified by the government as hotspots for terror for 90 days.
House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy has scheduled a vote on H.R. 3003, the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, for later this week. Majority Leader McCarthy has also scheduled a vote on H.R. 3004, a watered down version of Kate's Law.
The House Judiciary Committee passed Rep. John Carter’s (R-Texas) Protection of Children Act of 2017 (H.R. 495) by a 15-12 vote. This bill would remove loopholes to ensure that unaccompanied minors who cross the border illegally are promptly returned to their families in their home countries.
The Dept. of Justice has filed a “Statement of Interest” supporting Texas’ new law that bans sanctuary city policies throughout the state. The State of Texas is currently being sued by several Texas cities and others who oppose the SB4 law.
Breitbart’s Neil Munro reports that 329,158 foreign students or graduates of American universities received work permits under the Department of Homeland Security’s Optional Practical Training (OPT) program in FY 2016. This represents an almost a four-fold increase over the 91,140 work permits handed out in FY 2009, according to DHS data Munro obtained. “The government is enticing employers to hire foreigners instead of Americans … it is ridiculous,” the Center for Immigration Studies’ Mark Krikorian said.
According to DHS spokesman David Lapan, DHS Secretary John Kelly will use the authority granted by Congress to increase the number of H-2B visas beyond the cap limit. Lapan said that the number of additional visas is still being decided but should be set soon.
After the 2016 election, the theory (widespread after 2012) that demographic destiny would force the GOP to embrace large-scale legalization and immigration expansion has fizzled. The Republican Party and President Trump continue to have internal debates about immigration policy, but they are no longer alone. Pundits and reporters from the center left and beyond are looking at the Democratic Party's "immigration problem" with renewed urgency.
A new report from the Department of Homeland Security Inspector General shows that after completing surprise visits to three key ICE family detention centers they could find nothing wrong with the facilities or how they were managed. The detention centers have come under fire from groups claiming that illegal aliens are being mistreated while they wait for their deportation hearings.