House passes 'Deporting Fraudsters' bill
The House approved the Deporting Fraudsters Act (231‑186), which would mandate automatic deportation for non‑citizens convicted of welfare fraud including SNAP and Social Security offenses — 186 Democrats opposed the measure. If enacted, the bill would create new, automatic removal exposure tied to benefit‑fraud convictions. (x.com)
Sponsor Rep. David Taylor (R‑OH) introduced H.R. 1958 on March 6, 2025 and the bill was formally reported out of the House Judiciary Committee and placed on the Union Calendar on January 27, 2026 (H. Rept. 119‑467). (congress.gov) The Judiciary Committee advanced the measure by a 15–11 party‑line vote during markup before it reached the floor. (taylor.house.gov) The statutory language would create inadmissibility and deportability tied to either a conviction for, or an admission to, offenses including SNAP fraud, Social Security fraud, fraud involving programs that receive federal funds, and the production of fraudulent identification documents. (congress.gov) The bill would also make persons covered by those new grounds ineligible for immigration‑enforcement relief, explicitly referencing relief that would otherwise be available to individuals in danger of torture. (congress.gov) The Congressional Budget Office concluded that enacting the bill would lead to only a small number of removals attributable solely to this statute and estimated an insignificant net fiscal effect through 2035. (cbo.gov) H.R. 1958 lists 34 cosponsors on the congressional record, and the sponsor’s office described the measure as holding noncitizens “accountable” in press statements. (congress.gov) House debate included Democratic objections that fraud can already render noncitizens removable as a crime involving moral turpitude, a point voiced on the floor by Rep. Jamie Raskin, and several news outlets reported the bill faces a steep path in the Senate given procedural thresholds. (justthenews.com)
