Congress

Democrats Vote Unanimously to Include Illegal Immigrants in Census

Senate Democrats have unanimously defeated Sen. Bill Hagerty’s (R-Tenn.) proposal to bar illegal immigrants from being counted in the national census, warning that their numbers go toward informing the apportioning of House seats and the Electoral College.

Soon after President Joe Biden took office in 2021, he signed an executive order requiring the Census Bureau to determine the population of each state in the United States without regard to whether residents have lawful immigration status.

The amendment, which would be added to the Equal Representation Act that Sen. Hagerty proposed last month, would require . . . Read more about Democrats Vote Unanimously to Include Illegal Immigrants in Census

FAIR Applauds the House of Representatives for Impeaching Secretary Mayorkas

(February 13, 2024, Washington, D.C.) “Today’s vote in the House to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, only the second impeachment of a cabinet official in U.S. history, is a victory for the rule of law and the American people. 

“Secretary Mayorkas has not just presided over the greatest wave of illegal immigration in the nation’s history, he has actively encouraged it, facilitated it, and then forced the costs down the throats of the American people. This month marks three years since he swore to uphold the laws of the United States and protect the security of the homeland. Secretary Mayorkas, however, has done precisely the opposite. 

“At every turn, Secretary Mayorkas has ignored . . . Read more about FAIR Applauds the House of Representatives for Impeaching Secretary Mayorkas

Hispanic Democrats Vow to Oppose Senate Border Deal: Amnesty or Bust!

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus will oppose a deal to expand overall immigration, negotiated by Sens. James Lankford (R-OK), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), because it does not include amnesty for millions of illegal aliens.

The bill, released this week, would expand overall immigration to the United States by continuing to funnel border crossers and illegal aliens into American communities through President Joe Biden’s parole pipeline while, at the same time, increasing legal immigration levels by 50,000 green cards every year. . . . Read more about Hispanic Democrats Vow to Oppose Senate Border Deal: Amnesty or Bust!

Johnson Sets Vote on Tax Bill Conservatives Call ‘Trojan Horse to Expand Welfare’ for Illegal Aliens

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) is rushing through a tax bill unveiled days ago over significant policy objections from both conservative and centrist factions of the Republican Party.

Conservatives have spoken out against provisions in the bill they see as handouts to illegal immigrants, particularly an expansion of the Child Tax Credit without language requiring the parent to have a Social Security number. They argue . . . Read more about Johnson Sets Vote on Tax Bill Conservatives Call ‘Trojan Horse to Expand Welfare’ for Illegal Aliens

Johnson: Now is not ‘the time for comprehensive immigration reform’

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) voiced his skepticism of a deal being crafted in the Senate to pair border and migration policy changes with Ukraine aid, and said that now is not the time for comprehensive immigration reform.

Johnson said at a press conference Wednesday morning that while there has been a lot of “thoughtful and deliberative discussion and debate” surrounding the potential deal, he has not seen any final proposal and was “anxious” to see text of the proposal. But he dismissed any . . . Read more about Johnson: Now is not ‘the time for comprehensive immigration reform’

Rand Paul Says Mitch McConnell Plans ‘Sellout’ on Border Security

The still-secret draft deal “is a sellout — it’s going to continue to allow illegal immigration ” because Democrats are threatening Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) with an aid cut-off for Ukraine, Paul said before adding:

It’s saying, “Oh, we’ll let 5,000 people come illegally a day, and then after that, we might try to stop the next 5,000 that day.” It’s completely a sellout.

But it’s because people like Senator [Mitch] McConnell care more about Ukraine than anything else — more than the border, more than anything else. He wants to send $60 billion of your money to Ukraine. On this issue, he is more aligned with Biden. On the issue of funding, of sending your money to Ukraine . . . Read more about Rand Paul Says Mitch McConnell Plans ‘Sellout’ on Border Security

During Border Visit, Speaker Johnson Calls on President Biden to Reinstate ‘Remain in Mexico’ Policy

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and some 60 House Republicans visited the west Texas border town of Eagle Pass, where customs officials recently recorded more than 4,000 contacts with illegal immigrants on a single day.

The visit calls attention to the nation’s dysfunctional immigration system, which has allowed more than 6.5 million people to cross the southern border illegally in the past three years.

The influx has overwhelmed the capacity of border towns and the nation’s largest cities alike. And it has become an animating issue for House Republicans, who insist that the Senate enact and President Joe Biden adopt sweeping policy . . . Read more about During Border Visit, Speaker Johnson Calls on President Biden to Reinstate ‘Remain in Mexico’ Policy

Senate Negotiators Fail to Reach Deal on Border Security over the Weekend; Battle Resumes in 2024

On Sunday, both Democrat and Republican negotiators in the Senate acknowledged they had failed to reach a deal on the immigration policy changes needed to advance President Biden’s foreign aid package.  The negotiators met through the weekend after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) announced Thursday he would keep the Senate in session, instead of recessing for the holidays, to pressure the negotiators to make a deal. 

Negotiations were active over the weekend.  According to various news sources, Senator Lankford (R-Okla.), along with Sens. Kyrsten Sinema (I., Ariz.) and Chris Murphy (D., Conn.), White House aides, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and aides to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) huddled in Senator Schumer’s office on Saturday and Sunday.  Senator Lankford, the chief Republican negotiator, told reporters that Senators would need to have an agreement on a framework by Sunday evening.  Otherwise there would be insufficient time to put the agreement down on paper and start voting. 

By Sunday morning, the likelihood of an agreement was already in doubt. . . . Read more about Senate Negotiators Fail to Reach Deal on Border Security over the Weekend; Battle Resumes in 2024

House Passes Bill Blocking Federal Funds for Housing Illegal Immigrants

The House passed a bill on Nov. 30 that would prohibit federal funding toward housing illegal aliens on land managed by federal land management agencies.

The legislation, introduced by Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.), passed 224–203, with one voting "present."

The Protecting Our Communities from Failure to Secure the Border Act of 2023 would block federal taxpayer dollars for "housing to specified aliens on any land under the administrative jurisdiction of the federal land management agencies, including through leases . . . Read more about House Passes Bill Blocking Federal Funds for Housing Illegal Immigrants

House Republicans Release Report Showing Shockingly Few Deportations Under Biden

A new report from Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee found that over 99% of illegal immigrants released into the U.S. from January 2021 to March 2023 under President Joe Biden ended up staying in the U.S. 

The report, from the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Integrity, Security, and Enforcement, details how little deportations have taken place under Biden and says that few of those released into the U.S. were actually screened for persecution claims. The report said the total number of illegal immigrants released into the U.S. during the time in question was 2,148,738 and that over 204,000 were released through “illegal categorical parole programs.” . . . Read more about House Republicans Release Report Showing Shockingly Few Deportations Under Biden

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