House

H.R. 2538, Defend the American Dream Act of 2007, would prohibit an employer that employs H1B workers from displacing a U.S. worker employed by the employer within the period beginning 180 days before and ending 180 days after the employer petitions to import an H1B and would mandate active recruitment of U.S. workers before importing an H1B worker.

The bill would require, in fiscal years 2008 and 2009 and subject to appropriation, the hiring of an additional 3,000 full-time Border Patrol agents.

To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide for an increase in border patrol agents and other immigration enforcement activities, for a temporary agricultural worker program, and for a program to adjust the status of certain qualified long-term residents.

The bill would repeal an existing statutory exemption from alien harboring provisions that allows U.S. religious organizations to call an alien to serve as a volunteer minister or missionary in the United States, provided the alien has been a member of the denomination for at least one year.

To repeal the amendment made by section 796 of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006, exempting from harboring sanctions compensation for alien volunteers for certain religious organizations.

The bill would “expedite” the importation of H-1B high-skill nonimmigrant workers by requiring the employer to submit to the Department of Labor the requisite labor condition application at the same time as the employer submits to DHS the petition for nonimmigrant admission of the H-1B worker.

To provide job creation and assistance, and for other purposes.

The bill would extend the E-Verify federal employment verification program for 5 months (until March 6, 2009) and includes Homeland Security funding at FY08 levels. Particularly, the funding includes $5,400,000 for the 287(g) program to train local and state law enforcement on federal immigration procedures and $775,000,000 for border fencing and technology, with $400,000,000 still held hostage until the two Appropriations Committees approve a fencing plan.

The bill would authorize increased prison sentences for aliens who have re-entered the United States following removal and for whom removal: (1) resulted from conviction for commission of two or more (reduced from three by this bill) misdemeanors involving drugs, crimes against the person, or both, or a felony (other than an aggravated felony); (2) resulted from conviction for commission of an aggravated felony; (3) resulted from exclusion based on involvement in terrorist activities; or (4) occurred following a determination that removal during incarceration for a nonviolent offense would

H.R. 480 would amend the Truth in Lending Act to prohibit the issuance of residential mortgages to consumers without Social Security numbers (including illegal aliens) when a mortgage was to be used toward the consumer's principal residence.

H.R. 519 would eliminate the Secretary of Homeland Security's discretionary authority to order expedited removal, unless the Secretary determined after consultation with Federal, state, or local law enforcement agencies that the alien in question would be detained by such an agency, in which case the Secretary would be prohibited from removing the alien until that detention terminates.

H.Con.Res. 40 would express the sense of the House that the United States should not engage in the construction of a NAFTA Superhighway System and should not allow the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) to implement additional regulations to create a North American Union with Canada and Mexico. A so-called NAFTA Superhighway could have the effect of virtually eliminating U.S. borders, thus cosponsoring H.Con.Res. 40 is a step to protect U.S. sovereignty and border security.

H.R. 138, Employment Eligibility Verification and Anti-Identity Theft Act, would require workers to resolve discrepancies if their names and Social Security numbers do not match; would require employers to terminate workers who do not resolve such discrepancies; and would require the Social Security Administration to notify DHS so it can investigate whether a crime has been committed.

The bill would make it a felony – with a mandatory minimum prison term of one year – for illegal aliens to: (1) ignore a notice to appear in court; or (2) violate a deportation order. (Although the Bush administration has often declared that the era of “catch-and-release” is over, too many illegal aliens apprehended in the interior are still simply given a notice to appear in court – which, in many instances, acts more like a “get out of jail free” card – and then fail to show up for their court date.)

H.R. 702, Secure Border Crossing Card Entry Act of 2007, would establish parity between Mexican nationals visiting the United States who possessed a valid biometric Border Crossing Card (BCC, also known as a laser visa) and have completed the necessary security checks, and Canadian visitors by allowing BCC bearers to remain in the United States for six months (Mexican nationals with BCCs may only stay in the United States for 30 days, while Canadians possessing tourist visas may stay up to one year).

H.R. 416, the Fairness in Higher Education Act, would remove an incentive for illegal immigration by prohibiting institutions of higher education located in states that provide in-state tuition or other forms of financial aid to illegal aliens from receiving Federal assistance pursuant to the Higher Education Act of 1965.

H.Res. 22 would express the House's disapproval of the U.S-Mexico Social Security totalization agreement signed June 29, 2004.

The bill would establish mandatory minimum sentences for aliens who reenter the United States after being removed and for persons who assist aliens in reentering the United States .

To amend section 276 of the Immigration and Nationality Act to impose mandatory sentencing ranges with respect to aliens who reenter the United States after having been removed, and for other purposes.

H.R. 133, the Citizenship Reform Act, would end the automatic granting of U.S. citizenship to more than 300,000 anchor babies born to illegal-alien mothers in the United States each year.

The bill would exempt elementary and secondary schools from payment of H-1B (i.e., “skilled worker”) visa petition fees.

To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to exempt elementary and secondary schools from the fee imposed on employers filing petitions with respect to non-immigrant workers under the H-1B program.

H.R. 332 would prohibit an illegal alien, for purposes of Social Security benefits, from being credited for income earned while he/she is illegally present in the United States ; and would stipulate that this prohibition is not applicable retroactively, so that all benefits already granted would not be affected.

H.R. 190, Social Security for Americans Only Act of 2007, would prohibit an individual who is not a U.S. citizen or national, for purposes of Social Security benefits, from being credited for income earned while he/she was not a citizen or national; requires any Social Security totalization agreement to take that prohibition into account; applies that prohibition only to totalization agreements taking effect after enactment.

The bill would prohibit DHS from paroling into the United States an alien solely because he/she: (1) fell ill while seeking admission, or waiting to seek admission; or (2) approaches a DHS agent or official at or near the border in order to seek emergency medical assistance.

To prohibit the Secretary of Homeland Security from paroling into the United States an alien who falls ill while seeking admission at a port of entry or seeks emergency medical assistance by approaching an agent or official of the Department of Homeland Security at or near a border.

The bill would prohibit approval of family-sponsored immigration petitions if the principal alien is a convicted sex offender.

To prohibit a convicted sex offender from obtaining approval of immigration petitions filed by the offender on behalf of family members.

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that States and units of local government should enact legislation to prohibit the issuance of business, professional, or occupational licenses to unauthorized aliens.

H.R. 1275, American Dream Act, would make illegal aliens eligible for in-state tuition and would allow DHS to grant illegal college students legal status. This bill would encourage illegal immigration and reward illegal immigrants, as well as harming legal students.

H.R. 1314, Photo Identification Security Act, would prohibit Federal agencies (for any official purpose) and financial institutions (for purposes of verifying the identity of an individual seeking to open an account) from accepting any form of identification of an individual other than: (1) either: (a) a social security card accompanied by a photo identification card issued by the Federal or a state government; or (b) a state driver's license or identification card, provided that the state is in compliance with the REAL ID Act; (2) a U.S.

H.R. 1358 would create a new nonimmigrant visa category (i.e., the W visa) for aliens coming to the United States to work as professional nurses; would initially cap annual issuance of W visas to 50,000, but would provide that if that cap is reached in any year, the next year’s cap would be increased by 20 percent (no reduction if the cap is not reached – just a maintenance of the current cap); would exempt from the annual cap: (1) nonimmigrants working in geographic areas designated as “health professional shortage areas”; and (2) spouses and children of W nonimmigrants.