Congressional Quarterly Taps LIRS Expertise for Coverage of Spending Bill | LIRS
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Congressional Quarterly Taps LIRS Expertise for Coverage of Spending Bill

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Congressional Quarterly on June 8 quoted LIRS Director for Advocacy Eric B. Sigmon in the article “House GOP Amendments Challenge Administration’s Immigration Policy.”

The article by David Harrison, which you can read here (login required), includes the following analysis by Sigmon:

Acting under an open rule, House members approved roughly a dozen amendments to the Homeland Security spending bill (HR 5855) that would boost immigration enforcement and border security. That’s more amendments on the topic than in previous years, according to Eric Sigmon, director of advocacy for the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service.

Among the amendments discussed in the article is one by Rep. Steve King (R-IA) that would end the implementation of a new administration policy aimed at targeting for deportation undocumented immigrants who have committed serious crimes, while offering others a reprieve. Another amendment would bar the administration from dismantling a program that allows local law enforcement to join federal agents in enforcing immigration law. Rep. John Sullivan (R-OK) offered the amendment in apparent opposition to the Obama Administration’s stated intention to scale back the program.

Sigmon’s analysis continues in the article’s conclusion:

While most of the controversial House amendments are likely to be stripped in conference, advocates like Sigmon worry that some may survive.

“Like any negotiation, both sides are going to want something,” he said. “We’re concerned because the large number of misguided amendments that were adopted could significantly impact how the conference process plays out.”

We appreciate Congressional Quarterly’s coverage of the amendments and the larger issues of U.S. immigration policy.

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