Congressional Research Service Reports - 29 Matching Results

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Immigration Legislation Issues in the 109th Congress

Description: While immigration reform proposals remain pending, Congress has enacted limited provisions on temporary and permanent employment-based immigration as part of P.L. 109-13. It also has enacted legislation concerning alien victims of domestic violence, trafficking in persons, and refugees. This report discusses these and other immigration-related issues that have seen legislative action or are of significant congressional interest. DHS appropriations and immigration legislation related to Hurrican… more
Date: May 12, 2006
Creator: Bruno, Andorra; Wasem, Ruth Ellen; Siskin, Alison; Nuñez-Neto, Blas; Garcia, Michael J.; Vina, Stephen R. et al.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Immigration Legislation and Issues in the 112th Congress

Description: This report discusses immigration-related issues that have received legislative action or are of significant congressional interest in the 112th Congress.
Date: January 12, 2012
Creator: Bruno, Andorra
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Iraqi and Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Programs

Description: This report analyzes the special immigrant visa (SIV) classifications for Iraqis and Afghans within the context of both the larger Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) special immigrant category and selected other permanent admissions categories. It discusses the legislative changes to the individual Iraqi and Afghan special immigrant programs since their initial authorization, provides statistics on visa issuance, and considers challenges facing the programs today.
Date: September 12, 2014
Creator: Bruno, Andorra
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Immigration Legislation and Issues in the 105th Congress

Description: Immigration legislation enacted and considered in the 105th Congress can be divided into three categories: (1) legislation prompted by the major immigration and welfare legislation enacted in the 104th Congress; (2) legislation in response to the expiration dates of existing provisions; and (3) legislation which addressed emerging new issues -- issues that the 104th Congress did not address, or issues that arose since then.
Date: February 12, 1999
Creator: Vialet, Joyce; Wasem, Ruth Ellen; Krouse, William J. & Eig, Larry M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Overview of Immigration Issues in the 112th Congress

Description: This report synthesizes immigration issues as a multi-tiered debate. It breaks down the U.S. immigration law and policy into key elements: border control and visa security; legal immigration; documentation and verification; interior immigration enforcement; integration, status, and benefits; and refugees and other humanitarian populations. This report also delineates the debate in the 112th Congress for a range of issues, including border security, criminal aliens, and worksite enforcement.
Date: January 12, 2012
Creator: Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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State Challenges to Federal Enforcement of Immigration Law: Historical Precedents and Pending Litigation in Texas v. United States

Description: This report outlines how different states and localities react to the enforcement of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) regarding unauthorized aliens. The report provides a detailed overview of different states challenging the provisions of the INA and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) initiative, with cases ranging from the mid-1990's to December 2014.
Date: May 12, 2015
Creator: Manuel, Kate M.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Noncitizen Eligibility for Federal Public Assistance: Policy Overview

Description: This report discusses the extent to which residents of the United States who are not U.S. citizens should be eligible for federally-funded public aid. This issue meets at the intersection of two major policy areas: immigration policy and welfare policy. This report deals with the four major federal means-tested benefit programs: the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamps), the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TAN… more
Date: December 12, 2016
Creator: Siskin, Alison
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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U.S. Immigration Policy on Permanent Admissions

Description: When President George W. Bush announced his principles for immigration reform in January 2004, he included an increase in permanent immigration as a key component. President Bush has stated that immigration reform is a top priority of his second term and has prompted a lively debate on the issue. Bills to revise permanent admissions are being introduced, but only one has had legislative action thus far in the 109th Congress. A provision in P.L. 109-13 (H.R. 1268, the emergency FY2005 supplement… more
Date: May 12, 2006
Creator: Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Fifth Circuit Declines to Lift Injunction Barring Implementation of the Obama Administration's 2014 Deferred Action Programs

Description: This legal sidebar discusses a decision by the Fifth Circuit in which they declined to lift an injunction barring the implementation of the Obama administration's 2014 deferred action programs. Additionally, the decision argued that the expansions are impermissible because they conflict with certain provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
Date: November 12, 2015
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Immigration: Terrorist Grounds for Exclusion and Removal of Aliens

Description: This report focuses on the terrorism-related grounds for inadmissibility and deportation/removal. It opens with an overview of the terror-related grounds as they evolved through recent years. The section on current law explains several legal definitions, and describes the terror-related grounds for inadmissibility and removal. The report then discusses the screening process to determine admissibility and to identify possible terrorists.
Date: January 12, 2010
Creator: Garcia, Michael J. & Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Birthright Citizenship Under the 14th Amendment of Persons Born in the United States to Alien Parents

Description: This report provides background information on birthright citizenship to alien parents in the U.S. The report ends with a detail of amendments in the 112th Congress that would amend the Constitution to exclude from citizenship at birth persons born in the United States whose parents are unlawfully present in the United States or are non-immigrant aliens.
Date: August 12, 2010
Creator: Lee, Margaret Mikyung
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Immigration-Related Detention: Current Legislative Issues

Description: As Congress considers addressing some of the problems in the nation's immigration system, the detention of noncitizens in the United States may be an issue as Congress may choose to reevaluate detention priorities (i.e., who should be detained) and resources. There are many policy issues surrounding detention of aliens. The Illegal Immigrant Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA) increased the number of aliens subject to mandatory detention, and raised concerns about the justn… more
Date: January 12, 2012
Creator: Siskin, Alison
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Immigration: Reasons for Growth, 1981-1995

Description: Legal immigration to the United States has increased sharply in recent years, and shows no signs of slowing down. The question of why immigration has grown so rapidly and the implications of this growth for the future are expected to be issues in the 105th Congress. Primarily because of legislation enacted in 1980 and 1986, the numerical restrictions of the basic family and employment-based immigration preference system became less significant. The growth in legal immigration during the past 15… more
Date: February 12, 1997
Creator: Vialet, Joyce
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Immigration: Terrorist Grounds for Exclusion and Removal of Aliens

Description: This report provides information about the Terrorist Grounds for Exclusion and Removal of Aliens on Immigration. The INA spells out a strict set of admissions criteria and exclusion rules for all foreign nationals. It gives an overview of the grounds for inadmissibility and summarizes key legislation enacted in recent years.
Date: October 12, 2007
Creator: Garcia, Michael John & Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Temporary Protected Status: Current Immigration Policy and Issues

Description: This report is a brief overview of current policies regarding temporary protected status (TPS), which is relief from removal under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). It includes information about humanitarian migrants, temporary protected status, other blanket forms of relief, nationalities receiving protections, and issues with TPS, as well as recent legislation.
Date: January 12, 2015
Creator: Seghetti, Lisa; Ester, Karma & Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Immigration Policy for Intracompany Transfers (L Visas): Issues and Legislation

Description: During the 108th Congress, a number of proposals related to immigration and identification-document security were introduced, some of which were considered in the context of implementing recommendations made by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States (also known as the 9/11 Commission) and enacted pursuant to the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-458). At the time that the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act was adopted, … more
Date: June 12, 2003
Creator: Wasem, Ruth Ellen
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Would it Violate Equal Protection to Prohibit Naturalized "Dreamers: from Sponsoring Their Parents for Immigrant Visas?

Description: This report discusses the question of whether "Dreamers" who were given a pathway to citizenship and became naturalized citizens could sponsor their parents for immigration visas in the same way any other U.S. citizen could. Case law and various considerations which could affect such a decision are discussed.
Date: February 12, 2018
Creator: Harrington, Ben
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Immigration: Reasons for Growth, 1981-1995

Description: Report detailing the sharp growth in U.S. legal immigration from 1981 to 1995, including statistics, charts, priorities, and more.
Date: February 12, 1997
Creator: Vialet, Joyce C.
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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Visa Waiver Program

Description: This report discusses the visa waiver program (VWP), which allows for a bypass of the first step by which foreign visitors are screened for admissibility to enter the United States. Some policymakers are concerned that this waiver allows terrorists to more easily enter the country. The report provides waiver-related statistics and related legislation.
Date: February 12, 2014
Creator: Siskin, Alison
Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department
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