Although the Texas Special Session has ended without the passage of a Sanctuary Cities Bill, there are still pieces of immigration legislation that we are following.
On June 29, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) of 2011 was introduced in the Senate, a bill that seeks to renew the Trafficking Victim Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000. On June 22, The Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2011 was introduced by Senator Menendez and six other Senators. This Act attempts to address the legal status of the millions of immigrants in the U.S. who are out of status.
As similar bills have been met with support and opposition in the past, The CATO Institute has drafted a briefing paper responding to many of the common objections brought against the bill. You can read it here.
In addition, the Physicians for Human Rights have put out a new report titled, ‘Punishment Before Justice: Indefinite Detention in the U.S.,’ focusing on the effects of long term detention on the detainees. You can read their report here.