The House of Representatives recently passed the Deporting Fraudsters Act, which is aimed toward making sure those who are in the country illegally and commit welfare fraud can be deported right away. The bill passed 231-186, with all the nays coming from Democrats.
Illegals Committing Fraud Could Be Deported
Rep. David Taylor (R-OH) sponsored the bill that would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to explicitly make sure fraud is listed as a deportable offense. Although just entering the country illegally is already punishable with possible deportation, some lawmakers feel there needs to be more teeth to the Act after the fraud discovery in Minnesota. Federal prosecutors say there may be as much as $9 billion that has been stolen due to fraud schemes through networks of fake fronts posing as food programs, health clinics, and daycare centers, and as many as 100 individuals charged, the majority of which are part of the state’s Somali population.
"If you admit to or you’re convicted of fraudulently receiving public benefits, you are out of here on the next plane and can never return," Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) said on the House floor. He added: "It's a no-brainer — if an illegal alien defrauds the United States or steals benefits from our nation's most vulnerable, they should be permanently removed from our country."
Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) said during a House GOP conference: "We have already seen why action is needed. Independent journalist Nick Shirley helped expose a massive fraud scheme, showing how organized and widespread these scams can become even when oversight fails."
Republicans said the bill is necessary to make sure that illegal immigrants taking taxpayer dollars will no longer be eligible for immigration legal services or protections.
186 Democrats Disagree
Most congressional Democrats, however, disagree with the legislation, calling it a waste of time, and arguing that illegal migrants who have been convicted of fraud are already eligible for deportation. "Another week, another redundant and completely unnecessary immigration crime bill," Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) said.
Dems also argue that the bill will erode legal immigrants’ due process rights if those in the country illegally can be deported without due process or getting a conviction. "By bypassing the conviction requirement, this legislation would hand a liberal get-out-of-jail free card to immigrants who commit fraud by deporting them without going through the criminal justice system and giving their victims a day in court," Raskin said.
Republican lawmakers, however, argued that the bill doesn’t contain language that would prevent illegal immigrants from being prosecuted for fraudulent activity before they were removed from the country.
Democrats Continue to Vote Against Stronger Immigration Control
This is certainly not the first time Democrats have opposed legislation aiming to be stricter on illegal immigrants. In one instance, last year, 158 House Dems voted against the Preventing Violence Against Women By Illegal Aliens Act, which would help prevent people who have committed sex crimes or domestic abuse from entering the country. Under the bill, according to Congresswoman Nancy Mace (R-SC), who reintroduced the legislation, “Aliens convicted of sex offenses or domestic violence—or those who admit to such crimes—will be deemed inadmissible to the United States.” And, “Any alien convicted of a sex offense or conspiracy to commit such an offense will face deportation.”
As with the Deporting Fraudsters Act, Democrats claim the bill was redundant and even suggested it could end up harming victims. “Critics of Mace’s bill also said it provides no protection for immigrant victims of domestic violence, who often can be charged with a crime if they use violence in self-defense,” Politifact reported. Furthermore, “Calling the bill and social media posts a ‘dishonest campaign,’ Wasserman Schulz said the proposed law could harm victims of violence and trafficking who acted in self-defense and said immigrants who lacked capacity to defend themselves ‘would have no remedy under this law.’"
That 186 Democrats voted against the Deporting Fraudsters Act is just another example of the ongoing divide between the aisles over immigration enforcement. Republicans say these bills are needed to strengthen accountability while ensuring taxpayer dollars aren’t being abused while Democrats argue they are repetitive and not needed. The legislation will still need to be passed by the Senate to move forward.
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