U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Michigan, along with 185 other House Democrats, voted against legislation that would make fraud involving federally funded programs a deportable offense on Wednesday.
Scholten has also opposed funding for the Department of Homeland Security and has a history of opposing legislation that would make other crimes grounds for deportation.
The congresswoman and her 185 Democrat cohorts voted against the Deporting Fraudsters Act, legislation that would make public benefits fraud by an illegal alien grounds for deportation.
In addition to making fraud involving SNAP, Social Security, other federally funded programs, or fraudulent identification documents grounds for deportation, the Act would also bar foreign nationals who commit fraud from entering the U.S. and make those who commit fraud ineligible for immigration enforcement relief.
The Act’s sponsor, Rep. Dave Taylor, R – Ohio, commented on the legislation after it was passed by the House of Representatives on March 18.
“The last Administration’s open border policies put our communities at risk and made every state a border state,” Taylor said. “Under President Trump, Republicans are bringing back common sense. If an illegal alien defrauds the United States or steals benefits from our country’s most vulnerable, it should be a no-brainer that they be permanently removed from the United States.”
Taylor also said that an estimated 59% of households headed by illegal aliens receive taxpayer dollars through one or more welfare programs, and that the Act would close current loopholes to protect benefits for American citizens.
The Act is now being considered by the Senate, where it is sponsored by Sen. Ted Cruz, R – Texas.
President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order to establish a task force headed by Vice President JD Vance to combat fraud in federal benefits programs.
Programs that have been fraudulently exploited include Medicaid, food stamps, and federal childcare funding, according to a White House fact sheet about the task force.
The White House said that examples of federal benefits fraud include the hundreds of millions in Federal childcare funding stolen by an organized ring in Minnesota involving Somali nationals and the Feeding Our Future scam, also based in Minnesota, that stole nearly $250 million in federal funds intended for needy children.
Scholten previously voted against providing funding for the DHS in February and said that she did so to oppose Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to a report from The Midwesterner.
ICE continues to operate on the $75 billion set aside for the agency in the One Big Beautiful Bill.
Efforts by Democrats to block DHS funding have resulted in a partial government shutdown that has lasted over a month, missed paychecks for more than 260,000 employees, and extended security wait times at airports.
The Democratic congresswoman also opposed legislation to make assaulting law enforcement officers a deportable offense in 2023.
