Congress approved its omnibus spending bill and left on the cutting room floor language restricting the refugee resettlement program. The decision was cheered by a wide array of advocates, grantees, and faith leaders of many denominations. The final outcome was especially heartening given how grim prospects appeared for blocking the anti-refugee rider just a few weeks ago, when the House passed such a measure with some 50 Democratic votes. OSPC reports that refugee advocates praised the work of grantees MoveOn.org and Human Rights First in mobilizing grassroots pressure and bringing national security voices to the table, respectively.

Several other riders did pass, of concern to OSF values, including provisions increasing surveillance; blocking access to information on covert operations by the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board; and new discriminatory restrictions in the visa waiver program. The ACLU was among grantees putting out statements expressing concern about the civil liberties implications of this legislative language.

President Obama made a fresh attempt to counter fear and Islamophobia, speaking at an immigration naturalization ceremony on Tuesday. “In the Syrian seeking refuge today, we should see the Jewish refugee of World War II,” Obama said.  Grantee Muslim Advocates and other groups that met with White House officials said they were encouraged by the talks, expressing hope that for a proposal to have the Education Dept. give guidance to teachers and school administrators on dealing with anti-Muslim bias in the classroom. The meetings also covered concerns about the spread of hatred against Muslims via social media.

Those efforts stood in stark contrast to the tenor of discussion at Tuesday night’s Republican presidential debate, which featured strong doses of anti-immigration rhetoric, Islamophobia, calls for a return to greater government surveillance and a nostalgia for the strongman model of leadership amid criticism of the democracy-building efforts ushered in by the Arab Spring.

Ted Cruz took a step beyond previous public statements on immigration, effectively barring legal status for any undocumented immigrants (he had previously left open the possibility of a path to legal status). He also said he would favor deporting people who came into the country illegally, another step beyond his previously stated positions. Cruz also defended his support for a rollback of government surveillance power post-Snowden, coming under withering attack from several other candidates.

This escalating rhetoric comes at a time when the number of unaccompanied minors crossing the southern border is escalating anew.  The Center for American Progress convened a call Thursday for NGO’s to discuss options in response to the growing crisis. Among those to be featured include grantee Kids in Need of Defense. Texas decided to extend a National Guard deployment along the border with Mexico.

Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson unveiled a reform to the terror alert system, adding a new level to the warning matrix meant to announce activities by “self-radicalized” threats.  

Meanwhile, Johnson warned that there are “legal limits” on the federal government’s abilities to trace the social media histories of people trying to enter the U.S. from foreign countries.

Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzi gave an interview arguing that Islamophobia only helps terrorists and chastising Donald Trump for remarks “full of hatred.”

Among other grantee activities:

--The Public Religion Research Institute is holding an event at the White House Thursday to discuss polling on America’s tradition of religious pluralism. The event will be livestreamed beginning at 1 PM EST.  Among the findings: fewer Americans calling the U.S. a “Christian nation,” rise in inter-religious families and multi-religious identities, diminution of white Protestants and Catholics as a percentage of the country’s population.

--America’s Voice contrasted the Obama immigration ceremony with Republican debate rhetoric, blasting the GOP for what it called the party’s “radical deportation agenda.” Media Matters also publicized the candidates’ failure to address the threat of domestic gun violence.

--Advocates seeking to call out the institutions and questionable sources behind recent Islamophobic rhetoric continued to draw on and publicize a report by grantee CAP entitled Fear, Inc. 2.0, tracking organized efforts to promote hate.

--The Center for Democracy and Technology publicized stories airing new debates over what technology companies should do to help government in the fight against terrorism.

--The Southern Poverty Law Center condemned Donald Trump’s call to bar all Muslims from entering the U.S.