Reduce Illegal Immigration at Borders

H.R. 4547, the Build the Fence Act of 2016, would direct the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to complete the required southwest border fencing by December 31, 2017. The bill would also amend the Secure Fence Act of 2006 to direct DHS to achieve operational control over U.S. international land and maritime borders by the same date.

H.R. 4034, the Secure Fence Restoration Act of 2015, would require completion of the border fence under the Secure Fence Act of 2006 by the end of 2017.

H.R.1588, the Transnational Criminal Organization Illicit Spotter Prevention and Elimination Act, would increase border security by punishing spotters and armed smugglers of illegal aliens.

H.R. 300, the SMART Border Act, would require the Department of Homeland Security to gain operational control (100% awareness) along the U.S.-Mexico border, send 10,000 national guard troops to the border, provide grants to local law enforcement that have jurisdiction in border areas, and require implementation of the biometric entry-exit system.

H.R.52, the Save America Comprehensive Immigration Act of 2015, would grant amnesty to 11 million illegal alien living in the United States. The legislation would also double the caps in chain migration categories, double the visa lottery, grant amnesty to foreign citizens who currently have Temporary Protected Status, and repeal any bans on funding for sanctuary cities. The legislation does include some improvements to border security.

H.R. 1153, the Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act of 2015, represents one of the most thorough responses to the surge of unaccompanied alien children (UACs) at the Southwest border. Aside from repealing the requirements that resulted in UACs from contiguous countries receiving differing treatment than those from noncontiguous countries, this bill requires immigration officers to order all illegal entrants removed upon screening, absent an asylum claim. In order to encourage cooperation with return, foreign countries who resist repatriation will face cuts to foreign assistance.

H.R. 4882, the Southwest Border Protection Act of 2014, would direct the National Guard to secure the U.S. - Mexico border. Because many of the illegal aliens crossing the border as part of the 2014 border surge will likely receive green cards, this bill would help reduce the overall increase that is expected as a result of surge. Furthermore, it is is just about the only legislative response being offered to address the surge and slow/stop the flow.

To reduce the amount of foreign assistance to Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador based on the number of unaccompanied alien children who are nationals or citizens of such countries and who in the preceding fiscal year are placed in Federal custody by reason of their immigration status.

Supporting the Constitutional authority of the Governors of the States of Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California to take action to secure the international border of the United States within their States.

A bill making emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2014, and for other purposes. The bill would give Pres. Obama more than $2 billion to address the border surge crisis.

H.R. 5137, the Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act of 2014, represents one of the most thorough responses to the surge of unaccompanied alien children (UACs) at the Southwest border. Aside from repealing the requirements that resulted in UACs from contiguous countries receiving differing treatment than those from noncontiguous countries, this bill requires immigration officers to order all illegal entrants removed upon screening, absent an asylum claim. In order to encourage cooperation with return, foreign countries who resist repatriation will face cuts to foreign assistance.

H.R. 5114, the Helping Unaccompanied Minors and Alleviating National Emergency (HUMANE) Act, would address the surge of unaccompanied alien children (UACs) on the Southwest border, but would actually make the situation much worse. Though the distinction between UACs from Mexico and other countries is removed, it exposes all of them to a complicated process which would further delay returning the children to their countries of origin.

H.Res. 1026, the Bipartisan Reform of Immigration through Defining Good Enforcement Resolution, calls for the House to pass a bill mandating the use of the E-Verify system, pass a bill ensuring that America's borders are fully secure, and oppose all amnesty bills in 2010.

H.R. 3862 would have cut legal immigration from around one million to below 300,000 a year -- near the traditional American level of immigration. It also would have eliminated one of the major incentives for illegal immigration by halting the granting of U.S. citizenship to babies born to illegal-alien mothers in the United States. The House leadership did not bring the bill to a vote.

H.R. 4934, the Immigration Reduction Act, would cut legal immigration -- by reducing chain migration, ending the visa lottery, capping refugees and asylees, eliminating unnecessary worker visas, and ending birthright citizenship -- from around 1 million to around 320,000 a year, reducing U.S. population growth by about 5.8 million over a 10-year period.

H.R. 1915, the Immigration in the National Interest Act, would have shifted the primary focus of immigration policy to spouses and minor children from extended family and to skilled immigrants from less skilled ones. It would have set a ceiling of 330,000 on family-based immigration. In addition this bill would have increased the number of skilled workers, while eliminating the unskilled worker category and the lottery program. H.R. 1915 also contained provisions designed to reduce illegal immigration such as worker verification programs.

S.

H.R. 3229, the Visa Entry Reform Act, would implement an entry-exit system an an integrated database of biometric identifiers for every visa holder. It also would have created a comprehensive alien tracking and identification system. This would have reduced illegal immigration by decreasing the ability of a visa holder in the U.S. to overstay their visa and become an illegal alien.

H.R. 5111, the Illegal Immigration Enforcement and Social Security Protection Act, would increase interior enforcement by requiring a mandatory workplace verification program to verify the legal work status of potential employees. Additionally, the legislation contained significant sanctions against employers who hire illegal aliens and requires integration of the border-patrol fingerprint identification system and the FBI fingerprint-database.