U.S. Texas Senators Ted Cruz (R) and John Cornyn (R), joined by Mike Lee (R-UT), have introduced the Deporting Fraudsters Act, legislation that would make welfare and benefits fraud explicitly grounds for deportation and inadmissibility under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
The bill seeks to address what its sponsors describe as the growing abuse of taxpayer-funded welfare programs by illegal immigrants under current federal immigration enforcement policies.
"Americans who meet eligibility requirements should be the only ones to receive taxpayer-funded benefits," said Cruz. "Under the Biden Administration's border policies, abuse of these programs by illegal aliens increased. This bill will stem that abuse, and I urge my colleagues to pass this bill without delay."
Cornyn emphasized that the proposal aims to strengthen accountability in the system.
"Illegal aliens who falsify documents, steal identities, and cheat the system to gain public benefits meant for American citizens, including SNAP or Medicaid, should unquestionably be deported," said Cornyn. "By ensuring any illegal alien who defrauds the U.S. government can be removed from our country, this commonsense legislation would end the America-last policies of Joe Biden and rightfully put Americans first."
Lee echoed those sentiments, citing the financial burden on the U.S. welfare system.
"This bill will ensure that illegal aliens who steal the tax dollars of hardworking Americans are subject to deportation," he said.
In the House, A companion bill was introduced by Rep. Dave Taylor (R-OH).
According to the lawmakers, current immigration laws include "moral turpitude" as a general basis for deportation, but do not explicitly list welfare or benefits fraud. The introduced legislation would close that gap by directly including such fraud as a deportable and inadmissible offense.
Supporters of the Bill cite 2023 data estimating that 48% of households headed by illegal immigrants received food-related welfare benefits, with 17% using SNAP. Overall, about 59% of unlawful immigrant households reportedly accessed at least one welfare program, including food, cash, Medicaid, or housing assistance.
The bill's sponsors argue that the reform would restore fairness, reduce abuse, and prioritize benefits for American citizens and lawful residents.
