By NumbersUSA – April 28, 2023

The House of Representatives plans to vote on historic legislation that would end the ongoing border crisis and deter future border surges and illegal immigration in mid-May. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) made the announcement on Thursday and were confident they have the support for it to pass.

The final legislation would combine H.R. 2640, the Border Security and Enforcement Act, passed by the House Judiciary Committee last week and H.R. 2794, the Border Reinforcement Act, passed by the House Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday.

The combined bill would end asylum fraud, end catch-and-release, and require most employers to use E-Verify within 3 years to deter future illegal immigration.

Specifically, the Border Security and Enforcement Act (H.R. 2640) would:

• plug the loopholes in our asylum system that are exploited by economic migrants, restoring its integrity and protecting it for legitimate asylum seekers;
• block the administration from continuing its policies of catch-and-release, thus deterring future waves of illegal migrants;
• put a stop to the surges of family units and unaccompanied alien children, protecting them from exploitation and victimization by the cartels and traffickers;
• put teeth into efforts to deter visa overstays;
• rein in the breathtaking and illegal abuse of parole that this administration has been using to create its own immigration system outside of the confines of the Immigration and Nationality Act; and
• fulfill the promise of a lawful workforce with mandatory, nationwide E-Verify, which would shut off the “jobs magnet” for illegal immigration while protecting jobs for American workers.

The Border Reinforcement Act (H.R. 2794) would:

• amend the Secure Fence Act to explicitly require physical barriers along at least 900 miles of the border and expedite procedures for construction;
• defund DHS processing of aliens between ports of entry and DHS-funded nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that facilitate unlawful entry, human trafficking and smuggling, drug trafficking and smuggling, or provide, or facilitate the provision of, transportation, lodging, or immigration legal services to inadmissible aliens who enter the United States after the date of the enactment;
• prohibit the CBP One Mobile Application (or similar program) from being used to process entries of illegal aliens; and
• require the resumption of border wall construction, using funds that were previously appropriated and materials previously acquired.

The House is on recess next week, but GOP Leaders plan to schedule the vote around the termination of the Title 42 border policy, which is set to occur on May 11. Title 42 is the Trump-era policy that blocks the admission of certain asylum-seekers to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

While McCarthy and Scalise are confident that they have the votes to pass the legislation, there is some concern that a few Republicans in Ag-heavy districts may push to have the E-Verify provision removed from the bill. Therefore, we’ll be asking our activists who live in those districts to contact their GOP U.S. Representative during next week’s recess.