Another calendar item, this time from the National Immigration Forum:

TELEPHONIC BRIEFING

The Congressional Endgame on Immigration: Will the Senate Capitulate to the House Enforcement-Only & Criminalization Agenda?

WHAT: On the record briefing with Q&A

WHEN: Wednesday, September 20, 2006 at 1:30 pm ET

(12:30 pm CT/11:30 am MT/10:30 am PT)

….

WHY: There are disturbing signs that the Senate is about to cave in to House hardliners and enact a sweeping set of enforcement-only measures before the end of the month. If this comes to pass, it would deal a significant blow to the Senate’s courageous stand in favor of bipartisan comprehensive immigration reform, and to the President’s top domestic policy priority.

This Thursday the House of Representatives is gearing up to enact a series of enforcement-only measures drawn from the original House immigration bill, HR 4437. Enacted this past December, this controversial package brought millions of immigrants and allies onto the streets in protest earlier this year. The measures to be considered this week include troubling efforts to unleash state and local police on immigrant communities, thereby making 11-12 million undocumented immigrants subject to arrest, detention, and deportation by local law enforcement authorities. Immigrant advocates fear this is a backdoor means of criminalizing America’s undocumented immigrants. There are now disturbing reports that the DHS appropriations bill, currently in conference proceedings and expected to pass before the end of the month, may well serve as a vehicle for the controversial House measures. In addition, the House approved a measure last week to authorize the construction of 700 miles of border fencing. And Majority Leader Frist has indicated his plans to proceed with Senate consideration of the House fence bill this week. Is the Senate about to allow House Republican leaders to hijack the legislative battle over immigration reform and approve the House of Representatives’ enforcement-only immigration agenda through the back door? In an on the record briefing leaders of key advocacy organizations for ethnic, religious, and immigrant constituencies will comment on this an other immigration-related matters coming before the House and Senate this week.