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Rep. Elise Stefanik, Chairwoman
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Press Releases

Preventing Hamas from Exploiting The Biden Border Crisis & Holding Illegal Immigrants Accountable

Washington, January 31, 2024
  • Chair Green
Yesterday, the House Committee on Homeland Security, under the leadership of Chairman Mark Green (R-TN), convened to mark up articles of impeachment against Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas. The markup made it crystal clear to every American that DHS Secretary Mayorkas willfully and systemically refused to comply with federal immigration laws and acted in a manner subversive of the rule of law and must be impeached. 
 
Today, House Republicans will bring two border security bills to the floor as part of our effort to secure our borders. These bills will further protect Americans from terrorists attempting to exploit the Biden border crisis while also holding illegal immigrants who victimize Americans through identification fraud accountable.
 
The No Immigration Benefits for Hamas Terrorists Act will prevent Hamas terrorists from exploiting Joe Biden’s failed Far Left open border policies to harm Americans by ensuring illegal immigrants who are members of Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or played a role in the horrific October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks on Israel are inadmissible to the United States, removable from the United States, and ineligible for immigration relief.
 
The Consequences for Social Security Fraud Act ensures illegal immigrants who have committed social security fraud and other forms of identification document fraud are inadmissible to the United States and streamlines the process for their removal from the United States.
 
FACTS ON THE NO IMMIGRATION BENEFITS FOR HAMAS TERRORISTS ACT (Courtesy of the House Judiciary Committee):
  • H.R. 6679 ensures Hamas terrorists will find no refuge in the United States. On October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorists initiated the deadliest terrorist attack in Israel’s history. H.R. 6679 is the first step in protecting Americans from terrorists attempting to enter the nation, by ensuring aliens who are members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, as well as those aliens who participated in the attacks or facilitated them, are inadmissible to and removable from the United States.
  • H.R. 6679 bars Hamas terrorists from receiving any immigration relief under U.S. law. Although current law provides that those aliens engaged in terrorist activities are inadmissible to and removable from the United States, Hamas terrorists are not necessarily barred from receiving other forms of immigration relief. H.R. 6679 explicitly bars Hamas terrorists from receiving any immigration relief or benefit under our laws.
  • H.R. 6679 simplifies the inefficient and time-consuming analysis for determining whether an alien has engaged in terrorist activities for inadmissibility or removability purposes. While aliens who engage in terrorist activities are already inadmissible and removable under U.S. law, the analysis to determine whether an alien has engaged in terrorist activities is often time-consuming and inefficient. H.R. 6679 simplifies that process, underscoring that the United States has zero tolerance for terrorism around the world and that America will not provide a safe harbor to aliens who were part of the terror attacks against Israel initiated by Hamas beginning on October 7, 2023.
FACTS ON THE CONSEQUENCES FOR SOCIAL SECURITY FRAUD ACT (Courtesy of the House Judiciary Committee):
  • H.R. 6678 creates a new ground of inadmissibility and removability for criminal aliens who have victimized Americans through social security fraud and other identification document fraud. In doing so, this legislation streamlines the lengthy analysis for adjudicators and ensures that criminal aliens can be held to account and quickly removed from the United States for their criminal actions.
  • H.R. 6678 conforms to other grounds of inadmissibility and removability in existing law by not requiring a conviction. This bill allows authorities to use an alien’s own admission that he committed social security or identification document fraud to make the alien inadmissible to or removable from the United States. In doing so, H.R. 6678 guards against far-left prosecutors who may seek to ensure that aliens are never convicted of fraud offenses so that they can remain in the United States.
  •  H.R. 6678 streamlines the current arduous and lengthy process, ensuring criminal aliens who victimize Americans can be quickly removed. While some federal courts find that certain fraud convictions already make an alien removable from the country, that analysis can lead to years of litigation and involves convoluted legal analysis. By avoiding this approach, H.R. 6678 ensures criminal aliens who commit social security fraud and identification document fraud are quickly removed from the country.
  • H.R. 6678 takes seriously the problem of social security fraud and other identification document fraud. These crimes are regularly perpetrated by criminal aliens, and the number will no doubt increase due to the Biden border crisis. In just 2017, for example, there were “1.2 million cases in which illegal aliens used Social Security numbers that belonged to someone else or were fabricated.” This legislation holds aliens accountable for victimizing those Americans.