Hispanically Speaking News reports that a group of 104 Democratic Members of Congress released a letter to President Barack Obama thanking him for his "Deferred Action" deportation decision for young immigrants who have lived in the U.S. for at least five years and arrived before they turned 16.

http://www.hispanicallyspeakingnews.com/notitas-de-noticias/details/president-obama-receives-thanks-from-104-congress-members-for-deferring-dep/17251

*****

The Hill (DC) reports that Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said that he is open to the possibility of taking legal action against the Obama administration for its recent shifts in immigration policy. Grassley, a ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said he has serious concerns about the administration's new immigration policy, partly because the president bypassed Congress in making the decision. The administration's decision last month allows the Department of Homeland Security to exercise prosecutorial discretion for certain illegal immigrants under 30 years of age who wish to defer their deportation from the country. Grassley said a legislative fix to the new decision was not feasible so close to an election. However, Grassley and 19 other senators wrote Obama shortly after the immigration announcement with questions ranging from how the administration plans to fund the new policy to how it would defend the directive in court.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/240639-grassley-open-to-legal-recourse-on-obama-immigration-policy

*****

The Salt Lake Tribune and The Star Ledger report that U.S. House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Michigan) and Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) have introduced a new immigration bill that would help small business owners secure permanent resident status. The American Investment and Job Creation Act of 2012 (H.R.6210) would amend parts of the Immigration and Nationality Act. The immigration bill will allow entrepreneurs born overseas to sponsor themselves for employment-based green cards as long as they are highly educated and can prove that their business has employed at least five people for the past four years. Under current INA law, these types of green cards are only available to people sponsored by a company. The bipartisan proposal has won the support of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Venture Capital Association, the National Small Business Association, and the Michigan Chamber of Commerce. However, the bill has not been enacted into law due to a gridlock in the Senate.

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/54567129-90/immigration-bill-chaffetz-cards.html.csp

http://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2012/07/house_bill_would_expand_work_v.html

*****

The Digital Journal reports that the United States Senate approved Senate Bill 3245 which continues the U.S. Immigration's EB-5 Visa Program. The EB-5 Visa Program provides ways for foreign investors to legally obtain a green card by investing in a U.S. business that creates at least 10 jobs for U.S. citizens. The program has created thousands of jobs in the U.S. since its inception in 1993 and the newly passed legislation provides a three year extension for the program, which was expected to expire at the end of September. Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy also introduced the legislation as a permanent charter for the EB-5 program, including points to improve program oversight and investment planning by individual states and best practices for entrepreneurs working to promote the program and the businesses it creates. In addition to EB-5, the bill also provides a 3 year extension to the E-Verify, the Special Immigrant Non-Minister Religious Worker and the Conrad State 30 J-1 Waiver Programs. The Senate passed the bill with unanimous consent and the House is expected to follow.

http://digitaljournal.com/article/330323

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/s3245/text?utm_campaign=govtrack_email_update&utm_source=govtrack/email_update&utm_medium=email

*****

NBC reports that House Republicans will file a civil lawsuit against Attorney General Eric Holder during the August recess, says House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA). House Republicans will file the suit in an effort to compel Holder to release documents associated with the failed "Fast and Furious" gun-walking operation. During negotiations between House Republicans and Holder in June, the White House invoked executive privilege on the documents Issa requested for his investigation. Issa says that a federal judge should find that executive privilege does not apply to documents he is requesting. The House voted on June 28th, 255-67, to hold Holder in contempt of Congress for not turning over documents related to the Fast and Furious operation. During the vote, many Democrats walked off the House floor in protest.

The Justice Department responded to House Republicans by saying it would not be pursuing the case, stating that "the attorney general's response to the subpoena issued by the House Oversight Committee does not constitute a crime." As a result, the Republicans are seeking a remedy through the Supreme Court.

http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/08/03/13105010-gop-prepares-to-file-lawsuit-against-holder?lite

*****

NCSL News (Chicago) and Reuters report that U.S. lawmakers in 41 states enacted 114 bills and adopted 92 resolutions dealing with immigration in the first half of 2012, a 20 percent decrease from the 257 laws and resolutions enacted in the first half of 2011. Balancing budgets and redistricting were two of the main reasons for the decline in immigration-related legislation. State lawmakers were also waiting for the results of litigation on how much authority states have to enforce immigration laws, such as the Arizona v. United States decision. In 2011, 30 state legislatures introduced more than 50 broad immigration bills similar to Arizona's law. Five states, including Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, Rhode Island and West Virginia, have done so this year, but none were enacted, according to the report. Legislation related to identification and law enforcement were the top immigration laws enacted in the first half of 2012.

http://www.ncsl.org/press-room/summit-immigration-report.aspx

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/06/us-usa-immgration-states-idUSBRE87506E20120806

*****

< Back | Index | Next >

Disclaimer: This newsletter is provided as a public service and not intended to establish an attorney client relationship. Any reliance on information contained herein is taken at your own risk.