The Federal register is the repository, or record, of federal government. Items you can find include things like regulations, rules, and public notices from federal agencies such as Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State. Presidential documents such as executive orders and proclamations are published here as well.
To search the Federal Register, first type in your keywords in the search bar then click search. You will then be taken to the results page where you can use the limiters on the left-hand side of the page to further refine your results.
Some examples of documents that might be relevant to this course are:
The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings of the U.S. Congress. There is a new issue published each day that provides an overview of what happened in each chamber of Congress. Here is an example of the Congressional Record for August 22, 2023: You'll notice it has one section for the House and one section for the Senate. In addition to providing housekeeping information like who was the presiding officer for each chamber, it also provides updates on the status of different legislation.
The U.S. Code of Laws the official compilation and codification of the general and permanent federal statutes. These are federal laws that are enacted by our three branches of government. For example, Title 8--Aliens and Nationality of the U.S. Code addresses immigration and border security. Within Title 8 are the actual federal laws that pertain to immigration.
Congress.gov has a legislative search engine allowing users to track legislation in the House and Senate and across different Congressional sessions. (A new Congress takes place every two years.) Here you can search for proposed legislation related to immigration and read the actual text of the bill the House member or Senator hopes to pass and eventually enact as law.
This resource is different than the Congressional Record in that it allows you to read the actual bills being proposed and who the co-sponsored the bill. Whereas, the Congressional Record only provides the update on where a bill is in the legislative process.