Immigration and Citizenship

Washington, D.C.  – House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) issued the following statement after the Obama Administration announced that it will apply the limited law enforcement waiver authority in the Visa Waiver Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015 to allow entire categories of dual citizens and people who have traveled to Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Sudan to come to the U.S.

Washington, D.C.  – House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) issued the following statement on the Department of Homeland Security’s “Entry/Exit Overstay Report for Fiscal Year 2015”, which looked at only two of the many categories of temporary visitors to the U.S. and found that more than 500,000 temporary visitors overstayed their visas last year: “It’s estimated that 30 to 40 percent of unlawful immigrants came to the U.S.

Washington, D.C.  – House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) issued the following statement after Senate Democrats rejected the American Security Against Foreign Enemies Act of 2015 (H.R. 4038): “It’s inexcusable that Senate Democrats today rejected a commonsense, targeted bill that would protect the American people from a very real threat posed by ISIS. ISIS terrorists have vowed to use the refugee system to enter Western countries and top national security officials within the Obama Administration have repeatedly warned that the U.S.

Washington, D.C.  – House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) issued the following statement following the Supreme Court’s decision to take up a case challenging President Obama’s executive actions on immigration: “President Obama stated 22 times that he does not have the authority to change immigration laws on his own yet he did so anyway. President Obama’s decision to ignore the limits placed on his power and act unilaterally to rewrite our nation’s immigration laws threatens the separation of powers and its checks and balances.

Washington, D.C.  – House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) issued the statements below on several policy matters following President Barack Obama’s final State of the Union address. Criminal Justice Reform: “Criminal justice reform is a top priority for the House Judiciary Committee.

Washington, D.C.  – House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) issued the following statement on the arrest of two refugees from Iraq for allegedly attempting to provide material support to ISIS and for lying to U.S. immigration officials about their alleged ties to terrorist organizations. Chairman Goodlatte: “I commend our nation’s law enforcement for identifying and apprehending these terrorists and protecting the American people from the harm they could have caused.

Washington, D.C.  – House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) issued the statement below regarding the significant drop in removals for unlawful and criminal aliens in Fiscal Year (FY) 2015.  In FY 2015, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) conducted only 235,000 removals, which is down from last fiscal year’s low of 315,000 removals.

Washington, D.C.  – House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.), House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas.), and Rep.