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A group of GOP senators is unveiling new legislation to automatically deport and permanently ban the entry of illegal immigrants who are caught defrauding welfare or other public benefits programs.
The Deporting Fraudsters Act, unveiled by Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Mike Lee (R-Utah), would also clarify in federal law that any illegal immigrant convicted of defrauding the US government broadly is inadmissible and deportable.
“Americans who meet eligibility requirements should be the only ones to receive taxpayer-funded benefits,” Cruz said in a statement to The Post.
“Under the Biden administration’s border policies, abuse of these programs by illegal aliens increased. This bill will stem that abuse, and I urge my colleagues to pass this bill without delay.”
The measure modifies the Immigration and Nationality Act to ensure the automatic deportation and inadmissibility of illegal immigrants caught defrauding and mooching off Uncle Sam.
Inadmissibility means that illegal immigrants would be blocked from obtaining visas and returning to the United States after being deported.
At the moment, the Immigration and Nationality Act doesn’t include welfare fraud as a deportable or inadmissible offense, but instead mentions “moral turpitude,” which the senators feel is too vague and has led to inconsistent penalties.
“Illegal aliens who falsify documents, steal identities, and cheat the system to gain public benefits meant for American citizens, including SNAP [Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program] or Medicaid, should unquestionably be deported,” Cornyn said.
The Trump administration has been cracking down on ways in which illegal immigrants fraudulently obtain official federal or state documents, such as commercial driver’s licenses (CDL). --->READ MORE HERE
U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, both Texas Republicans, have filed a bill to make defrauding the federal government a deportable offense.
The Deporting Fraudsters Act, filed with cosponsors, would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to clarify that “aliens who have been convicted of defrauding the United States Government or unlawfully receiving public benefits are inadmissible and deportable,” according to the bill language. Companion legislation was introduced in the House by U.S. Rep. Dave Taylor (R-Ohio).
“Americans who meet eligibility requirements should be the only ones to receive taxpayer-funded benefits,” Cruz said. “Under the Biden administration’s border policies, abuse of these programs by illegal aliens increased. This bill will stem that abuse, and I urge my colleagues to pass this bill without delay.”
The INA doesn’t include welfare fraud in a list of crimes that make foreign nationals inadmissible or deportable.
It includes a vague phrase, “moral turpitude,” which has been used as “a catch-all cause for deportation and inadmissibility,” the senators argue. “The INA’s lack of a specific welfare fraud offense enables lax and inconsistent punishment for welfare fraud by illegal aliens.”
“Illegal aliens who falsify documents, steal identities, and cheat the system to gain public benefits meant for American citizens, including SNAP or Medicaid, should unquestionably be deported,” Cornyn said. “By ensuring any illegal alien who defrauds the U.S. government can be removed from our country, this commonsense legislation would end the America-last policies of Joe Biden and rightfully put Americans first.”
In February, President Donald Trump directed federal agencies to stop funding public benefits for foreign nationals living illegally in the U.S., The Center Square reported. The order cites federal law, including the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, that “generally prohibits illegal aliens from obtaining most taxpayer-funded benefits.”
Texas has sought to end public benefits for those in the country illegally. In 2021, Texas and 13 states sued to ensure that a federal public charge rule remained in effect, which requires foreign nationals to prove they can financially support themselves prior to being admitted to the U.S., The Center Square reported. --->READ MORE HERE
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