House

H.R.1274, the Keeping the Pledge on Immigration Act, would: provide up to 4,000 additional national guard troops patrolling the southern border; reaffirm language mandating "operational control" of the border as defined in the 2006 Secure Fence Act; provide double and even triple layer fencing by September 30, 2014; organize rapid deployment unites to respond to UAE and radar detection alerts; complete of the automated exit control system by September 30, 2015; and provide additional visa security screening for high risk visas including in-person interviews and data sharing.

The bill would require each state and their local law enforcement agencies to collect and report all immigration and DWI-related information as a prerequisite for receiving State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP, a program that provides assistance to states for the incarceration of illegal aliens) funding. DWI-related information would then appear as a flag on the wants/warrants page of the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database.

The bill would prevent Community Oriented Policing Services Program (COPS) funding from being used to uphold “sanctuary policies,” which prevent law enforcement officials in local municipalities from investigating immigration status or reporting immigration violations to Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE). COPS is important to city, tribal, state, and other local law enforcement agencies because it awards grants used to update technology, hire and train police officers, and develop crime fighting strategies. Please see S.169 for the Senate Companion legislation.

H.R. 714, the Startup Act 3.0, would establish 125,000 new conditional permanent resident visas: 50,000 for graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and 75,000 for qualified immigrant entrepreneurs. STEM graduates must remain “actively engaged” in a STEM field for 5 years in order to retain the visa, which includes a year of diligently searching for employment and the remaining years employed in the U.S. in a STEM field.

H.R. 463 would improve the U-Visa program through various adjustments to the existing system. First, the program is limited so that only spouses and children of U-Visa holders may accompany to join the recipient of the U-Visa. In order to prevent abuse of the system, the list of crimes that create U-Visa eligibility is limited to actual completed crimes. In other words, attempt, conspiracy, and solicitation to commit one of the crimes listed have been removed.

H.R. 425, would restrict any federal funds from being used for the “Provisional Unlawful Presence Waivers of Inadmissibility for Certain Immediate Relatives” rule published by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which allows illegal aliens to remain in the U.S. prior to leaving to process immigrant visa applications.

H.R. 300, the Visa Wavier for Israel Act, would deem the country of Israel to be a program country for the visa waiver program (VWP), effective once Israel has complied with various State Department and Homeland Security requests that focus on national security and information sharing. The VWP allows citizens from select qualifying countries to enter the U.S. for tourism or business for 90 days or less without first obtaining a visa.

H.R. 1292, the New IDEA Act of 2013, would amend the Internal Revenue Code so that wages and benefits paid to unauthorized aliens are not tax deductible. This bill also makes improvements to E-Verify, including permanent authorization the program, safe harbor for employees that properly use E-Verify, and permission for employers to make job offers contingent upon work authorization.

Making appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2014, and for other purposes.

H.R. 3611, the DHS Immigration Accountability and Transparency Act of 2013, would require the Secretary of DHS to submit a detailed annual report on immigration policy directives, covering matters ranging from previous removal statistics and the estimated number of aliens present without lawful status to the number of immigration cases closed due to immigration policy directives. In response to recent reports that the Administration is “cooking the books” on its removal numbers, detailed information is required regarding the methods by which the statistics were compiled.

H.R. 2602, the Timely Repatriation Act, would give the Secretary of Homeland Security the ability to punish countries that refuse or unreasonably delay the repatriation of its nationals from the United States. If a country’s repatriation failure rate exceeds 10%, the Secretary will refuse to issue visas for attendants, servants, personal employees, and immediate family members of ambassadors, diplomats, consular officers, or other officials and employees from that country’s government.

Establishes a new program for a new class of temporary nonimmigrant agricultural workers (W) in addition to the already existing H-2A program. With visas limited to 10- month periods, the new system would try and protect American workers by utilizing an internet-based job registry to help employers recruit U.S. workers. The program would attempt to prevent abuse of the system by requiring the use of biometric cards by W-Visa holders and giving financial incentive for the aliens to return home when their visas expire.

H.R. 72, the Border Security, Cooperation, and Act Now Drug War Prevention Act of 2013 would allow for emergency deployments of U.S. Border Patrol agents, DEA agents, and ATF agents in states that declare an "international border security emergency." Improvements to border security are also proposed, including new equipment, technology, and vehicles for agents, in order to prevent various forms of crime including crossing into the United States at any location other than an authorized port of entry.

H.R. 830, the Secure America Through Verification and Enforcement (SAVE) Act of 2013 would help reduce illegal immigration by broadening and enhancing border security and interior enforcement measures. Perhaps the most important aspect of the SAVE Act is its requirement that ALL employers use the E-Verify electronic workplace verification program, an inexpensive, quick, and accurate way to verify the employment eligibility of ALL employees. This would go a long way toward removing the job magnet for illegal immigration.

H.R. 478, the E-Verify Modernization Act of 2013, would make the E-Verify program permanent, make E-Verify mandatory for all new employees after 60 days, allows employers to check existing employees, and protects employers from having to spend resources training an employee before a confirmation.

H.R. 477, the Nuclear Family Priority Act, would eliminate the family-based green card categories that are directly responsible for endless chains of family migration. The current annual limits on green cards are 78,000 for parents, 65,000 for adult brothers and sisters, 23,400 for married sons and daughters and 23,400 for unmarried adult sons and daughters. H.R.

H.R. 15, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, was a massive immigration reform bill, introduced by Rep. Joe Garcia (D-Fla.) and was the House companion to the Gang of 8's S. 744. H.R. 15 would result in approximately 30 million new permanent work permits issued in the first 10 years if passed. The bill would grant legal status and worker permits to an estimated 11 million illegal aliens with an opportunity for green cards after 10 years and replace some family-based immigration categories with a merit-based points system.

H.R. 1417, the Border Security Results Act of 2013, addresses border security, but does little to guarantee an actual border security results. Rather than require the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to gain control of U.S. Borders, this act merely requires the Secretary to submit a plan to gain operational control of only the southern borders within 5 years. Operational control is met when the DHS determines that it has apprehended and turned back at least 90% of those who try to enter the U.S. illegally.

H. Res. 326 would express the sense of the House of Representatives that any immigration reform proposal adopted by Congress should not legalize, grant amnesty for, or confer any other legal status condoning the otherwise unlawful entry or presence in the United States of any individual.