House passes bill to deport illegal alien fraudsters—186 Dems oppose it

The US House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill targeting welfare fraud involving illegal immigrants, making the crime of fraud a deportable offense. Nearly 200 Democrats voted against the measure.

The measure passed in a 231-186 vote, with 186 Democrats voting against the Deporting Fraudsters Act.

“Any alien who has been convicted of, who admits having committed, or who admits committing acts which constitute the essential elements of” crimes related to fraud is deportable, the bill text states.

The proposal would revise the Immigration and Nationality Act to clearly classify fraud as grounds for deportation. Republicans argued the change is needed to prevent noncitizens who misuse public funds from accessing immigration benefits or 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," said Tom McClintock during remarks on the House floor.

Taylor added after the vote, "It's a no-brainer — if an illegal alien defrauds the United States or steals benefits from our nation's most vulnerable, they should be permanently removed from our country,” per Fox News.

Democrats claimed that existing law already allows deportation for noncitizens convicted of fraud. "Another week, another redundant and completely unnecessary immigration crime bill," said Democrat Jamie Raskin. Democrats claimed that the bill could weaken due process protections by allowing deportations before a conviction is secured.

"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 added.

The legislation faces an uphill battle in the Senate, where Democratic opposition and the chamber’s 60-vote threshold make passage unlikely. The vote comes amid increased focus by House Republicans on alleged welfare fraud across the country.

The passage of the bill comes as fraud has become a national flashpoint after a report from independent journalist Nick Shirley exposed rampant alleged fraud taking place at daycare centers in Minnesota, many of them linked to the Somali community. Other reporting has also pointed to rampant fraud at hospice centers in California.