DEC. 20 - Yesterday, Congress passed an omnibus appropriations bill (H.R.2764) for fiscal year 2008 for most major federal agencies. The president is expected to sign the omnibus bill into law.
The best news on the omnibus is what is not included in it. Punitive, enforcement-only immigration provisions were not added to the omnibus bill, as many feared. While funding for border security was increased by nearly $3 billion, vast expansion of immigrant detention space was not. Detention beds were raised from 27,500 nationwide to 32,000 -- but not to 45,000 as an amendment to an earlier appropriations bill would have funded.
In a significant victory that was the result of targeted education of policy makers by [immigration advocacy groups], and of the efforts of key members of Congress, an amendment to the Homeland Security appropriations bill that would have expanded mandatory detention of certain immigrants, with no carve-out for asylum seekers, was stripped from the omnibus package.
In addition, the omnibus includes a $3.76 million grant program for legal aid providers to offer legal orientation programs, also called "Know Your Rights" presentations, to detained immigrants. This is nearly double the prior funding for these programs.
Finally, a separate bill reforming and updating the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) passed both the House and Senate and is expected to be signed into law. FOIA is a critical tool used by NIJC and other legal aid providers and litigators to increase transparency of the immigration detention system and hold the government accountable. Among other reforms, the Open Government Act (S.2488) restores meaningful deadlines for agency action under FOIA and imposes consequences on federal agencies that fail to meet such deadlines.
By TARA TIDWELL CULLEN, National Immigrant Justice Center, 12/20/07
