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Category: Immigration

DACA Goes to the Supreme Court

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Many higher education organizations, including APLU, filed an amicus brief in the US Supreme Court, supporting University of California in Regents of the University of California v Dept of Homeland Security. The University of California argues the repeal of DACA  has violated the rights of the University and its’ students. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has already found the termination of DACA to be unlawful, however the Supreme Court has the final verdict. Universities around the country are concerned that without comprehensive immigration reform, repealing DACA will unduly harm hundreds of thousands of students who have made their home in the United States. UW continues to monitor the case, working closely with our nationwide colleagues.

You can read the full brief here.

UW President Cauce has been very vocal in support of DACA students, and you can find her updates here.

UW Joins Call for Congressional Action on DACA

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On Friday, August 30th UW signed a letter, alongside nearly 600 other US higher education institutions, urging Congress to take swift, bipartisan action on DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals). The letter was circulated by The American Council on Education and is addressed to leadership in both the House and Senate. DACA provides a two-year protection from deportation for undocumented persons who arrived in the United States as children. The program has been suspended since September 2017, leaving recipients in limbo. The letter reminds Congress that the suspension of DACA is contrary to American interests and hinders a safe, positive, and productive academic environment. UW will continue to watch this issue closely and advocate for the interests of Dreamers on our campuses.

A full text of the letter is available here.

White House to Unveil New Immigration Plan

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In a speech later today at the White House, President Trump is expected unveil a new immigration plan, one that is expected to be opposed by those on the left and the right.  The biggest part of the proposal is a move to a “merit-based” immigration system, one that moves away from the family-based immigration system currently in place.

At the same time, the proposal does not address the issues around DACA and “Dreamers” nor does it call for an overall decrease in the number of immigrants coming to the country.

Read more about the expected announcement here and here.

 

Progress and Potential Stumbling Blocks Seen on FY2019 Spending

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While the House is now enjoying its five-week long August recess, the Senate still remains in session this week and appears to be on track to pass a four-bill spending package by Friday. The measure will include Senate versions of two House-passed bills– Interior and Financial Services– as well as the Agriculture and Transportation-Housing Urban Development bills.  If the Senate approves the four-bill vehicle, it will have cleared seven of the 12 spending bills for FY2019, while the House has adopted six to date.

While each chamber continues to make progress on its own versions of bills, potential stumbling blocks to bills being signed into law remain.  For example, while the two chambers are currently trying to reach an agreement on an already-adopted package of three bills– Energy and Water, Legislative Branch, and Military Construction-Veterans Affairs– progress has been halted because the two sides cannot agree on the amount of money that is available for each bill.

In addition, President Trump earlier this week tweeted that he would advocate for a government shutdown if he does not get what he wants on “border security.”  This comes after Republican Congressional leaders earlier stated that they would not support such a move.  It remains unclear what the president ultimately wants.

Second Spending Package Clears House

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After three days of debating amendments on the floor, the House passed this morning a spending package that includes the FY2019 Interior and Financial Services appropriations bills.  This morning’s action means that half of the 12 annual spending bills have now cleared the House.

On a related note, the last of the House appropriations bills, the Homeland Security funding bill, is scheduled to be marked up in subcommittee today.  The markup is expected to be contentious as a result of a number of controversies, such as those surrounding family separations at the border and the Administration’s push for funding for a border wall.