House Judiciary Committee Unveils Bills to Strengthen Enforcement and Integrity of Immigration Laws
Washington, D.C. – House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and several House Republicans have unveiled four pieces of legislation to strengthen the interior enforcement of our immigration laws, remove the ability of the President to unilaterally shut down immigration enforcement, ensure jobs are preserved for legal workers, reform the United States’ asylum laws, and make sure unaccompanied alien minors who make the dangerous trek to the United States are safely returned home. These four bills will be marked up by the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, March 3 and Wednesday, March 4, 2015.
Chairman Goodlatte said the following on the importance of these pieces of legislation.
“There are many issues plaguing our nation’s immigration system but the biggest problem is that our immigration laws are not enforced. While presidents of both parties have not fully enforced our immigration laws, President Obama has unilaterally gutted the interior enforcement of our laws. Additionally, Obama Administration officials consistently exploit weak asylum standards to approve baseless claims.
“By refusing to enforce the laws against illegal immigration, President Obama’s immigration policies collectively undermine the integrity of our immigration system and send the message to the world that our laws can be violated with impunity. The bills introduced by Representatives Gowdy, Smith, Chaffetz, and Carter end many of the Obama Administration’s disastrous polices that wreak havoc on our immigration system and strengthen the interior enforcement of our immigration laws. We must ensure enforcement of our immigration laws before we can address other broken aspects of our immigration system, such as high-skilled visa reform and addressing our broken agricultural guestworker program.”
The Michael Davis, Jr. in Honor of State and Local Law Enforcement Act is authored by Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee Chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.). This legislation ensures that the President of the United States can’t shut down immigration enforcement unilaterally by granting states and localities specific congressional authorization to assist in the enforcement of federal immigration law. It also strengthens national security and protects American communities by improving visa security, facilitating the removal of dangerous criminal aliens, and barring terrorists from entering and remaining in the United States. A summary can be found here.
“For decades, Americans have been promised a secure border and an immigration system that works for all Americans,” said Subcommittee Chairman Gowdy. “Those promises have not been kept and both political parties bear responsibility for that. This legislation allows state and local governments to assist in the enforcement of our federal immigration laws. By doing so, we remove the ability of this or future Presidents – of either party – to systematically shut down portions of the law to suit their political purposes.”
“If we are serious about finding a long term solution to our immigration system, we must address interior enforcement,” added Gowdy. “This bill, which is one part of the Committee’s step-by-step process to address our broken immigration system, will ensure we do not repeat the mistakes of the past and help us earn back the trust of the American public.”
Science, Space, and Technology Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), the former chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, introduced the Legal Workforce Act to ensure jobs are preserved for Americans and legal workers. This bill requires all U.S. employers to use E-Verify, a web-based system that checks the Social Security numbers of newly hired employees against Social Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security records to help ensure that they are genuinely eligible to work in the U.S. A summary can be found here.
“The Legal Workforce Act is crucial legislation that puts legal workers first and enjoys broad support with the American public. It is also free, quick, easy-to-use and effective,” said Congressman Smith.
“Almost 20 million Americans are unemployed or underemployed. Meanwhile, seven million people are working in the United States illegally. By expanding the E-Verify system, this bill will ensure that new jobs only go to legal workers,” Smith concluded.
Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, is author of the Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act. This bill closes loopholes in current law that encourage illegal immigration, such as weak standards for asylum claims that enable the Obama Administration’s rubberstamping of fraudulent applications and policies, and effectively ends “catch and release.” A summary can be found here.
“Even before the President’s promises of amnesty went into effect, our borders were being inundated with unaccompanied children and teens responding to the incentive of a broken asylum policy,” said Congressman Chaffetz. “This incentive, combined with President Obama’s promise of executive amnesty, continues to lure ever increasing numbers of immigrants across our borders. Congress can respond decisively with resources to swiftly process asylum seekers. The Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act not only addresses the immediate concern with unaccompanied children, but closes long-exploited holes in our asylum practices.
“Additional judges, attorneys, and other resources will ensure children are processed, reunited with their families, and sent home as swiftly as possible,” added Chaffetz. “Just as importantly, the bill addresses the delays that have enabled people to game the asylum system. We can expedite the removal process by reducing the multi-year waiting period and strengthening standards for those who claim ‘credible fear’ for adjudication of asylum claims.”
Chairman of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee John Carter (R-Texas) introduced the Protection of Children Act to ensure unaccompanied alien minors who make the dangerous journey to the United States are safely returned home. For those who stay with a sponsor in the United States while awaiting their immigration hearing, the bill provides for greater transparency and safety of these minors to ensure they are not inadvertently delivered into the hands of criminals or abusers. A summary can be found here.
“For far too long drug smugglers have continually used loopholes in our nation’s immigration law to make billions, all while preying upon the weakest in our society. The Protection of Children Act of 2015 stops this abuse and removes the loophole human traffickers have used for years,” said Congressman Carter on the introduction of this bill. “Last year, we saw the affect these loopholes have on our country and southern border when tens of thousands of juveniles marched across the border and into our cities, all at the taxpayer’s expense. The great state of Texas has felt this burden, probably more than any other state. This Administration needs to stop ignoring the obvious problem, burdening the American public and putting innocent lives at risk.”