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Last week saw a number of developments in Washington, DC with implications for immigration reform.

Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), Chairman of the Senate Immigration Subcommittee, announced plans to introduce a comprehensive immigration reform bill by Labor Day this year. This news follows his recent development of principles for immigration reform, which will guide his proposed legislation.

On Wednesday, the Council on Foreign Relations issued a report on US immigration policy authored by a bipartisan independent task force of policy leaders, including Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Former Clinton Chief of Staff Thomas McLarty. The report strongly urges passage of comprehensive immigration reform, specifically within an economic, foreign policy and national security framework.

Last week, the Senate passed five immigration-related amendments to the Senate Homeland Security appropriations bill, proposed by Sessions, DeMint, Grassley, Vitter and Hatch. The Hatch amendment provided legislative fixes for widows and orphans of citizens and permanent residents and extended the religious worker visa program. Meanwhile, the other amendments, respectively, made E-verify permanent and required for all federal contractors; set a deadline for construction of a border wall in which vehicle barriers don't count; made a requirement that E-verify users re-verify all their current employees, not just new hires; and prevented DHS from using funds to rescind the SSA "no-match" rule as it had just announced it would do.

This week, we need to make sure that Senators hear directly from you. What the nation needs is a comprehensive immigration reform to fix our broken immigration system. Sideshow amendments like the ones added to the Senate Homeland Security appropriations bill are distractions and potential obstacles to real solutions that the vast majority of Americans are calling for. The Campaign sent out targeted alerts both for Senators who voted conscientiously, and for Senators who chose bad politics over good immigration policy.

To send a fax to Congress in support of a comprehensive immigration reform, visit our website.

Administrative Updates:

The Department of Homeland Security has announced just now that, following a review of the 287(g) program, it will launch a revamped 287(g) reflecting new ICE priorities. The new criteria are a result of a review of the more controversial aspects of the program to target enforcement, prioritizing criminal enforcement first. New agreements will be signed with all the existing 287(g) jurisdictions, as well as 11 new locations. Read the DHS press release at http://www.dhs.gov/ynews/releases/pr_1247246453625.shtm.

The White House made two immigration-related policy announcements last week. First, the administration stated that DHS would require E-verify for all federal contractors and subcontractors. At the same time, they rescinded the ineffective No-Match rule requiring the Social Security Administration to notify employers that employees' social security numbers did not match. Read more about the White House announcements at http://www.immigrationforum.org/press/r ... ve-reform/.

The Department of Health and Human Services has proposed to remove the HIV-ban on travel and immigration to the U.S. This ban has prevented hundreds of people, from refugees to short-term travelers, from coming to the United States. The proposal is open for public comments until August 17, 2009. Read more about the proposal and the ban at Immigration Equality: http://www.immigrationequality.org/temp ... p?pageid=5.
-- Rich Stolz, ReformImmigrationFORAmerica.org