Immigration

Although America is a Nation of immigrants, illegal immigration is one of the greatest threats facing us today. Our porous borders represent a significant national security threat, and the first step to fixing illegal immigration is to secure our borders. Only once our borders are secure can we address the other needed reforms within our immigration system.

Congressman Hice is adamantly opposed to granting amnesty to the over 12 million illegal aliens currently residing in the United States. Our Nation is guided by a set of core principles and the rule of law, and we cannot reward illegal behavior with any form of amnesty or citizenship.

One of the most pressing issues that has come to Congressman Hice’s attention is that of illegal alien criminals who have committed felony crimes in the United States but remain free in society due to the failed policies of the Obama Administration. The scope of this criminal alien problem is astounding: In 2014, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deported 177,000 convicted illegal alien criminals – almost half of whom were convicted of aggravated felonies – and 91,000 were arrested by the Border Patrol attempting to illegally re-enter the country. In fact, as many as one in every five arrests by the Border Patrol last year was a criminal alien.

An example of this crisis is the recent discovery that ICE has released hundreds of rapists, child molesters, and other sex offenders without first notifying local law enforcement or the general public. To rectify this fundamental error in policy, Congressman Hice has introduced the Tracking Reoffending Alien Criminals (TRAC) Act. His bill would require Homeland Security to register criminals in their custody as sex offenders and thereby ensure that local law enforcement and the general public are aware that these criminals are in their area, thereby preventing these individuals from disappearing into the shadows as they currently are prone to do.

We must also address the nearly 300 sanctuary cities across this Nation that refuse to comply with federal immigration enforcement agents. Congressman Hice has supported legislation, the Enforce the Law for Sanctuary Cities Act, that passed the U.S. House of Representatives and would withhold federal grant money from sanctuary communities refusing to comply with federal immigration enforcement efforts. Sanctuary city policies needlessly endanger American lives by refusing to honor the federal government’s authority to enforce immigration laws. Unfortunately, the Obama Administration’s own reckless policies enable these rogue local governments to defy federal immigration laws. All too often, these policies create preventable tragedies involving criminal aliens victimizing American citizens in their crimes. President Obama’s lack of interior enforcement has made the United States a sanctuary nation and, as a result, hundreds of thousands of criminal aliens are currently roaming free in United States.

As a strong supporter of the rule of law, Congressman Hice will continue to work tirelessly on the issue of immigration reform. Congressman Hice believes in a smart and pragmatic approach to immigration policy – one that weeds out those who may likely become an economic burden on the American people. We need an immigration system that focuses on attracting those individuals who possess skills that will benefit this country as a whole. Accordingly, Congressman Hice has introduced the Nuclear Family Priority Act, H.R. 604. This legislation would end the phenomenon known as “chain migration” by abolishing the extended-family preference category for legal immigration. Under his bill, the emphasis would shift to skills and employment-based immigration visas instead.

Congressman Hice will continue to champion policies that will help solve the problems our nation faces as a result of both legal and illegal immigration.