Legislation

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A Guide to S.744: Understanding the 2013 Senate Immigration Bill

This guide to provide policymakers, the media, and the public with an easy-to-understand guide to the main components of S. 744 and the purpose behind them.

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A Comparison of the DREAM Act and Other Proposals for Undocumented Youth

The Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act's main provision provides permanent resident status to young undocumented immigrants. It however, has not yet been passed by Congress and become law.

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All Legislation Content

  • Blog

Senators Introduce Bill to Provide Children in Immigration Proceedings a Lawyer

February 11, 2016

Every day children, some as young as toddlers, are sent into immigration courts all around the country. They can be asked to make their own immigration cases before a judge, often while a...

  • Blog

Is It Time to Change our Cuban Immigration Policy?

January 15, 2016

In December of 2014, President Obama restored full diplomatic relations with Cuba and, for the first time since 1961, opened an embassy in Havana.  Many believe that normalizing relations with...

  • Blog

What to Expect From Congress on Immigration in 2016

January 5, 2016

As members of Congress make their way back to Washington, D.C. this week, the prevailing wisdom is that nothing substantive will happen on Capitol Hill because we have officially entered an...

  • Blog

Congress Funds Government and Extends Immigration Programs for Ten Months

December 18, 2015

This week, the House and Senate overwhelmingly passed a $1.15 trillion omnibus spending bill that funds the federal government for the rest of the Fiscal Year (FY), through September 30, 2016, as...

  • Blog

House Passes Visa Waiver Program Bill that Excludes Nationals of Syria, Iraq, Iran and Sudan

December 9, 2015

While Congress may be backing away from targeting the refugee resettlement program in reaction to recent terrorist attacks, lawmakers appear to have found a new target: the Visa Waiver Program (...

  • Blog

Efforts to Pass Anti-Refugee Legislation Slows

December 7, 2015

In the days after the Paris attacks, fear took hold of many across the United States, and some politicians proposed shutting our doors to refugees, particularly those from Syria and Iraq. This...

  • Blog

Will the Immigration Court Backlog Finally Go Down?

December 3, 2015

Although our nation’s immigration courts currently have record backlogs, there may be some help on the way. That was the message from Juan Osuna, Director of the Executive Office of Immigration...

  • Blog

Congress Continues its Knee-Jerk Reaction to Paris Attacks

November 19, 2015

Today, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4038, the “American Safe Act of 2015” by a vote of 289 to 137, with 47 Democrats and all but two Republicans supporting the bill. This comes less...

  • Blog

Congress Passes a Budget, But a Government Shutdown is Still Possible

November 3, 2015

Last week Congress passed and on Monday the President signed a two year bipartisan budget agreement that also raised the debt ceiling through March 2017. The two year budget sets federal spending...

  • Blog

Why Congress Should Eliminate the Term “Alien” from Federal Law

October 27, 2015

Last week, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) introduced legislation to remove derogatory language describing noncitizens as “aliens” from federal law. The bill, known as the Correcting Hurtful...

  • Blog

As Texans Struggle for Survival, Judge Puts SB4 Largely On Hold

August 31, 2017

Texas’ Senate Bill 4 (SB4), the state’s punitive, anti-immigrant law slated to go into effect on September 1, was largely blocked by a Texas Judge late Wednesday evening. SB4 was passed into law...

  • Blog

Who Is in and out Under the RAISE Act

August 11, 2017

The Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy Act (RAISE Act) seeks to dramatically reshape American immigration by favoring youth and a narrow set of skills over family values and...

  • Fact Sheet

The RAISE Act

Publication Date: 
August 11, 2017
The Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment Act (RAISE Act) or S. 354 would mark a sweeping overhaul of the U.S. immigration system. It would significantly reduce levels of legal...
  • Blog

Administration Unveils Legislation That Cuts Legal Immigration in Half and Abandons Family Values

August 3, 2017

The administration revealed legislation this week that seeks to drastically reshape American immigration, moving away from the family based immigration tradition that has both shaped our...

  • Blog

House Commits 1.6 Billion Taxpayer Dollars to Elusive Border Wall

July 31, 2017

The House of Representatives passed a spending bill last week which included $1.6 billion for expansion of a southern border wall. The bill, which passed largely along party lines, will now move...

  • Blog

How Many Dreamers May See a Promising New Reality?

July 25, 2017

With the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program now at risk of being terminated by the courts or the administration, pressure is building on Congress to pass legislation which...

  • Blog

Dream Act of 2017 Introduced With Bipartisanship in the Senate

July 20, 2017

The bipartisan Dream Act of 2017 was just introduced by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Richard Durbin (D-IL) in the U.S. Senate. The bill provides legal status, as well as a path to...

  • Blog

House Committee Funds Administration’s Super-Sized Immigration Enforcement

July 19, 2017

In the first week of his presidency, through executive orders, the president laid out harsh proposals for immigration enforcement and border security. However, much of what the president proposes...

  • Blog

Two Anti-Immigrant Bills Attacking Sanctuary Cities and Criminalizing Immigrants Passed by the House

June 30, 2017

The House of Representatives passed two harsh immigration enforcement bills this week, both of which had the adamant backing of President Trump. The anti-immigrant bills, which passed largely...

  • Blog

Trump’s Mass Deportation Plan Is Passed by the House Judiciary Committee

May 26, 2017

For the third time in five years the House Judiciary Committee has passed a draconian interior enforcement immigration bill out of committee on a party line vote. Immigration advocates and...

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