The House of Representatives narrowly passed legislation Wednesday to crack down on illegal immigrant welfare fraud, despite fierce objections from most Democrats.
Lawmakers voted 231-186 to approve the Deporting Fraudsters Act with 186 Democrats opposing the measure.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. David Taylor, R-Ohio, would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to explicitly define fraud as a deportable offense. Republicans said the legislation is necessary to ensure that noncitizens who steal taxpayer dollars are no longer eligible for immigration relief services or legal protections.
“If you admit to or you’re convicted of fraudulently receiving public benefits, you are out of here on the next plane and can never return,” Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., said Wednesday on the House floor.
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Democratic lawmakers largely opposed the GOP-authored bill, arguing that noncitizens convicted of fraud are already eligible for deportation.
“Another week, another redundant and completely unnecessary immigration crime bill,” Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said during debate on the measure.
Democrats also sharply criticized the measure for eroding legal immigrants’ due process rights by permitting noncitizens to be deported prior to prosecutors securing a conviction.
“By bypassing the conviction requirement, this legislation would hand a liberal get-out-of-jail free card to immigrants who commit fraud by deporting them without going through the criminal justice system and giving their victims a day in court,” Raskin said.
GOP lawmakers countered that there is no language in the bill that prevents noncitizens from being prosecuted for alleged fraud prior to removal from the country.
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The bill is likely dead on arrival in the Senate given widespread opposition from Democrats. Under Senate rules, most legislation must overcome a 60-vote threshold to advance to a vote on final passage.
The vote follows heightened scrutiny from House Republicans on welfare fraud nationwide.
The House Oversight Committee in December launched a probe into massive welfare fraud involving Minnesota’s social services programs. Federal prosecutors say as much as $9 billion in taxpayer money may have been stolen in various fraud schemes and have charged nearly 100 individuals, including many of Somali descent.
House Republicans have also spotlighted reporting from independent journalist Nick Shirley, who has probed alleged daycare fraud in Minnesota and California.
“We have already seen why action is needed,” Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., said Tuesday during a House GOP leadership news conference. “Independent journalist Nick Shirley helped expose a massive fraud scheme, showing how organized and widespread these scams can become even when oversight fails.”
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