Border Patrol officers apprehended 35,444 illegal border crossers last month, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, marking a 15-month low for apprehensions. In addition, officers encountered 9,806 inadmissibles at a port of entry for a total of 45,250 encounters last month -- also a 15-month low.
Once again, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) asked for unanimous consent from the Senate this week to pass the Fairness for High Skilled Immigrants Act, S. 386 in the Senate and H.R. 1044 in the House, that would lift per-country caps for employment-based green cards, but Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) objected. Sen. Durbin used his objection to introduce new legislation, the RELIEF Act, which would substantially increase the number of green cards issued each year, including clear the existing backlog of employment-based green cards over five years.
There's little doubt that the issue of immigration will be on the minds of voters throughout next year's presidential elections. That's why I was somewhat surprised at how little time ABC dedicated to the issue during last night's third Democratic Presidential debate. But here's a recap of what each candidate said . . .
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to tour the ICE detention facility in Aurora, Colo., owned and operated by The GEO Group. This facility has been at the center of the immigration-enforcement debate ever since protesters replaced the facility's American flag with a Mexican flag and defaced a Blue Lives Matter flag earlier this summer. Here's what I saw . . .
A number of media outlets are reporting that the Trump administration has ended the "medical deferred action" program, which will result in the removal of thousands of illegal aliens living in the country who are receiving life-saving medical treatment. However, the reports misrepresent the policy change and exaggerate the impacts.
The House of Representatives blocked passage of H.R. 549 -- a bill to grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to illegal aliens from Venezuela -- on Tuesday. House Leadership attempted to pass the bill under suspension of the rules, meaning it would bypass regular House order. But to do so, the bill would need to receive support from at least two-thirds of the House. While the bill received more votes than a simple majority, 268-to-154, it fell short of the two-thirds threshold.
The House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed H.R. 1044, the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act, 365-to-65. While the bill's title includes the word "fair", the bill, should it become law, would all but eliminate employment-based green cards for nationals from all but a handful of countries.
The House of Representatives passed a mass amnesty bill on Tuesday evening, H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act, that would grant lifetime work permits to approximately 3.5 million illegal aliens who claim that they entered the country under the age of 18 and meet certain other conditions and to approximately 450,000 foreign citizens (mostly illegal aliens) whose countries have been given Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
The Trump Administration is considering a move that would prevent some foreign citizens from seeking asylum in the United States. Apprehensions of family units crossing the border illegally are at record-highs, and most family units are claiming asylum once they're detained by a Border Patrol officer.
The Trump Administration has filed a briefing with the Supreme Court, urging the high court to quickly decide if it will hear arguments on the legal challenges to Pres. Trump's decision to end the Obama-era executive DACA amnesty that has given work permits to approximately 900,000 illegal aliens. The briefing asked the Court if it would decide before the end of the month, which marks the end of the current session, if it would hear arguments in the fall.