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Refugee/Asylum Fraud
While enforcement can discourage illegal immigration, certain acts passed by Congress can encourage illegal immigration. Programs that offer illegal aliens access to health care, driver's licenses, social security benefits, education, housing assistance and others not only encourage the illegal aliens already living in the United States to stay, but it also encourages more illegal aliens to come.
| Decreases Refugee/Asylum Numbers | Increases Refugee/Asylum Numbers |
| [Enacted on 5/11/05] H.R. 418 -- prohibits federal agencies from accepting as valid ID driver's licenses issued by states that issue them to illegal aliens, prevents terrorists from abusing asylum laws or avoiding deportation, and ensures completion of the San Diego border fence. Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) is the bill's main sponsor. Co-sponsors Summary Section-by-section analysis Bush Administration Endorsement Facts on asylum reforms REAL ID Act Does NOT Create National ID Card 9/11 terrorists got licenses while illegally present Correcting Misinformation H.R. 688 - would enact comprehensive immigration reform that provides more resources for our legal immigration system, while reducing workload levels, strengthening our borders, increasing screening and tracking of aliens, removing alien terrorists, criminals, and human rights violators, and expediting removal proceedings. Rep. Gresham Barrett (R-SC) is the bill's main sponsor. Co-sponsors H.R. 3700 - would lower overall levels of legal immigration by reducing the annual quota for family sponsored immigrants to zero, for employment based immigrants to 5,200, and for the visa lottery to zero, by ending the process of birthright citizenship and sunsetting many amnesty programs. Rep Tom Tancredo (R-CO) is the bill's main sponsor. Co-sponsors Section-by-section analysis | Title IX of H.R. 3402 (Department of Justice authorization bill [scroll down for Title IX]) – would loosen the rules governing visas for victims of trafficking and domestic violence and their families. Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) is the bill's main sponsor. H.R. 6082 - would extend Temporary Protected Status to Lebanese citizens for one year if they are in the United States, admissible as an immigrant and register with DHS. Rep. Ray Lahood (R-IL) is the bill’s main sponsor. Co-sponsors S. 3765 - would extend Temporary Protected Status to Lebanese citizens for one year if they are in the United States, admissible as an immigrant and register with DHS. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) is the bill's main sponsor. No Co-sponsors S. 2611 – would grant “reward amnesty” to members of persecuted religious minority groups who filed an asylum application in the U.S. before May 2006, and would immediately adjust the status of applicants for this amnesty to that of LPR, thus giving them all the ensuing rights and protections, even though their original asylum claims have not been examined or approved; and would create a new special immigrant “N” visa for an alien not present in the U.S. who is either a minor for whom no parent or legal guardian is able to provide adequate care, who faces a credible fear of harm related to his/her age, who lacks adequate protection from that harm, and for whom it has been determined to be in his/her best interests to be admitted to the U.S., or a female who has a credible fear of harm related to her sex and who lacks adequate protection from that harm. Sen Arlen Specter (R-PA) is the bill's main sponsor. Co-sponsors View chart showing a comparison between the House- and Senate-passed bills |
| ***NOTE*** There are four forms legislation take: |
| S. 123 (or H.R. 123) - This denotes regular bills that must pass both Chambers, get Presidential signature and have force of law. |
| S. Res. 123 (or H.Res. 123) - Resolutions affecting a single body of Congress. |
| S.J. Res. 123 (or H.J.Res. 123) - Joint resolutions are generally the same as bills, only affect narrower subjects. They require Presidential signature after passing both Chambers, like a bill, unless it's a constitutional amendment. |
| S.Con.Res. 123 (or H.Con.Res. 123) - Concurrent resolutions must pass both bodies, but can go to the President for signature. They are used for things like agreement on a date for adjournment, sense of Congress on something and for budgetary decisions. It doesn't have the force of law. |