From Fox News: The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation Wednesday to crack down on illegal immigrants participating in 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.
Democratic lawmakers opposed the GOP-authored bill, citing existing deportation eligibility for noncitizens convicted of fraud. Democrats criticized the measure for eroding legal immigrants’ due process rights.
“Another week, another redundant and completely unnecessary immigration crime bill,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md. during a debate on the bill. “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.”
GOP lawmakers say the bill does not contain any language preventing noncitizens from being prosecuted for alleged fraud prior to removal from the country.
Read more at Fox News
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