Since joining the Republican ticket, Sen. Vance has consistently spoken of the need to secure the border and stop the border crisis, and blamed President Biden and Vice President Harris for the situation. SOURCE; SOURCE; SOURCE

While running for the U.S. Senate, Vance was a vocal supporter of securing the border and ending the Biden administration’s border crisis (SOURCE, SOURCE). Since joining the Senate, Vance has cosponsored the Senate version of the House-passed H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act (SOURCE) and opposed Senator’s Lankford “border security” bill that would have worsened the border crisis (SOURCE). Moreover, Vance spoke often of the need of securing our own borders before sending billions to Ukraine (or at least to do so concurrently). SOURCE

While Sen. Vance has not discussed mandatory E-Verify during the current campaign, he has previously supported its use.

During his Senate campaign, Vance proposed an E-Verify mandate to ensure that unscrupulous employers are unable to hire illegal workers (SOURCE). Since joining the Senate, Vance has cosponsored S. 4529, Sen. Mitt Romney’s Mandatory E-Verify Act (SOURCE) and Sen. Tom Cotton’s S. 2785, the Higher Wages for American Workers Act, to mandate use of the E-Verify system (SOURCE). Vance cosponsored S. 2983 and S. 3978 to require federal financial aid-receiving colleges and universities to run all new hires through the E-Verify program. SOURCE

While Sen. Vance has not discussed chain migration during the current campaign, he has previously supported efforts to end it.

During his Senate campaign, Vance supported Sens. Tom Cotton and David Perdue’s RAISE Act, legislation that would limit chain migration to nuclear family members:

“What our immigration policy does right now is it asks the question ‘Who do you know?’ and if you know somebody, then that’s how you get into the United States legally. I think the immigration policy of the United States should be about what skills and what attributes do you bring to the table that’s going to enrich the entire American nation. That’s what the RAISE Act would do, that’s what most other first-world economies actually do. You let people into your country based on merit, not who they know, it’s based on merit. And I think that’s where we need to take the immigration policy in this country.” SOURCE

While Sen. Vance has not discussed the visa lottery during the current campaign, he has previously supported efforts to end it.

During his Senate campaign, Vance supported Sens. Tom Cotton and David Perdue’s RAISE Act, legislation that end the visa lottery:

“What our immigration policy does right now is it asks the question ‘Who do you know?’ and if you know somebody, then that’s how you get into the United States legally. I think the immigration policy of the United States should be about what skills and what attributes do you bring to the table that’s going to enrich the entire American nation. That’s what the RAISE Act would do, that’s what most other first-world economies actually do. You let people into your country based on merit, not who they know, it’s based on merit. And I think that’s where we need to take the immigration policy in this country.” SOURCE

While a U.S. Senator, Vance supported legislation (S. Amdt. 110 to H.R. 3476; S. 2824) to reduce asylum fraud (SOURCE) and spoke multiple times on the Senate floor on the need end asylum and refugee fraud:

“Another problem with our border law is that it has been manipulated so that we turn so-called illegal aliens into so-called asylum seekers. Here is how it works. We, of course, want to be a country that is welcoming to those who are fearing persecution. So if you come into this country as an economic migrant and you come illegally, you come having not followed the laws of this country, you can claim asylum. If your asylum claim is granted, you immediately receive amnesty, and you are on the track to becoming a citizen of this country even though you never followed the law to get into the country in the first place.

 

The other effect of our jacked-up–excuse me–the other effect of our problematic asylum laws is that even if the asylum claim is not granted, you can be released into the country for a period of years, sometimes even decades, before an immigration judge hears your claims.

 

So let’s say you are an economic migrant. You show up at the American southern border. You say: I am an asylum claimant fearing persecution.

 

An administrative official from Customs and Border Patrol says: Well, we have to adjudicate your asylum claim. You can’t do that right now, so what we will do is ask an immigration judge to hear that claim in 12 years. You are free to hang out in America for the next 12 years.

 

Well, that is an effect of amnesty, and, again, it sends a message all across the world that America is open for business, and we can have a wide-open southern border. That is what it does.

 

This particular legislation actually made that problem worse. Now, on the one hand, it tried to increase the standard for granting asylum from a credible fear standard to a reasonable fear standard, but, importantly, it changed the people who were enforcing that standard from immigration judges to CIS officers at United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. These are people who are widely believed to have some of the most pro-asylum views within the U.S. Government.

 

So millions of people could come across the southern border, claim asylum, and have their claim granted unilaterally. That would put them on the pathway to citizenship. That would put them in a competitive posture with American citizens for jobs and for other important benefits. Yet this legislation trying to fix the border actually made the asylum process worse. So here we are with a border compromise that actually makes the border security problems in this country worse.” SOURCE

Vance wrote to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in 2023 to oppose the the CHNV to give parole and work permits to illegal aliens from Cuba, Honduras, Haiti, and Venezuela. SOURCE

In June, 2024, Vance wrote to Sec. Mayorkas and Attorney General Garland to oppose the Biden administration’s decision to issue a de factor amnesty to more than 350,000 asylum seekers by terminating their applications, thus allowing them to remain in the U.S. SOURCE

As a U.S. Senator, Vance cosponsored legislation to ensure that apprehended illegal aliens are not released as part of the “Alternatives to Detention” program (SOURCE) and S. 3933, the Laken Riley Act, to hold public officials accountable to ignoring immigration law or violating immigration parole regulations. (SOURCE) Vance also introduced S. 3915, the No Community Development Block Grants for Sanctuary Cities Act, (SOURCE) voted to defund sanctuary cities (SOURCE), and spoke out against sanctuary jurisdictions. (SOURCE). Vance has also stated that the U.S. needs to “make it hard for illegal aliens to work in our country” to enforcing the law. SOURCE

While running for the U.S. Senate, Vance supported ICE and efforts to enforce the United States’ immigration laws, including efforts to eliminate sanctuary cities. SOURCE

While a U.S. Senator, Vance consistently opposed efforts to increase foreign worker numbers (SOURCE; SOURCE) and has spoken out against efforts to increase foreign worker imports due to perceived labor shortages. SOURCE

While running for the U.S. Senate, Vance campaigned on reducing foreign worker numbers, “We also must reform our legal immigration system. In no other developed country do we allow migration primarily based on family relations rather than skills. Millions of people want to come here, and we should only allow them if they contribute something meaningful to our country” (SOURCE) and understood that mass illegal immigration decreased wages and made it more difficult for at-risk Americans to find work. SOURCE

As a U.S. Senator, Vance has consistently opposed efforts to amnesty any illegal aliens, including “Dreamers” (SOURCE; SOURCE) and sponsored legislation to end parole for illegal aliens in most cases. SOURCE

While running for the U.S. Senate, Vance vocally opposed giving any amnesty illegal aliens. SOURCE; SOURCE

As a U.S. Senator, Vance has spoken out on the need to prevent visa overstays (SOURCE SOURCE), introduced S. 2656, the Timely Departure Act, to help reduce overstays (SOURCE), and cosponsored the Senate version of H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, to end visa overstays. (SOURCE)

While introducing S. 2656, Sen. Vance stated:

“There are millions of people in this country who have abused our visa system and circumvented our legal immigration process. It is a slap in the face to the working-class Ohioans whose wages are suffering — I will not stand for it. I’m proud to introduce this legislation and bring some sanity to our broken immigration system.” SOURCE

While a U.S. Senator, Vance cosponsored S. 4459, the Constitutional Citizenship Clarification Act, to redefine birthright citizenship to exclude the children of illegal aliens. SOURCE

As a U.S. Senator, Vance consistently reiterated that mass immigration will increase the labor pool and bring wages, calling for immigration numbers to be reduced and that immigration be primarily merit-based so that American workers are not crowded out. SOURCE

While running for the U.S. Senate, Vance said he would support Congressional efforts to reduce overall immigration numbers: “Because of this, our capacity to assimilate the next generation of immigrants is limited, and our legal immigration system should account for this fact by changing who we let in and reducing the total numbers.” (SOURCE)