House Passes Bill to Deport Illegal Aliens Guilty of Welfare Fraud

The U.S. House of Representatives has passed H.R. 1958, the Deporting Fraudsters Act of 2026, by a vote of 231–186, approving legislation that would make fraud against the U.S. government a deportable offense for individuals unlawfully present in the country.

The bill, introduced by Rep. Dave Taylor, would amend federal immigration law to explicitly classify defrauding the United States or stealing taxpayer-funded benefits as grounds for removal and inadmissibility. The measure applies to individuals who commit or admit to committing fraud involving federal programs such as SNAP, Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid.

Under current law, certain criminal convictions can trigger deportation. Supporters of the legislation argue that benefit fraud and theft of government funds are not uniformly listed as standalone deportable offenses in all cases. The bill would close what sponsors describe as a statutory gap by adding fraud against the U.S. government to the list of removable offenses.

“It’s a no-brainer – if an illegal alien defrauds the United States or steals benefits from our nation’s most vulnerable, they should be permanently removed from our country,” Taylor said following the vote.

In addition to establishing deportability, the legislation would render individuals who commit such fraud inadmissible for future entry and ineligible for additional federal benefits.

The measure cleared the House Judiciary Committee on January 13, 2026, by a vote of 15–11 before advancing to the full House. The final floor vote of 231–186 reflected majority Republican support.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan said the legislation would ensure accountability for foreign nationals who exploit public assistance programs.

A companion bill has been introduced in the Senate by Sens. Ted Cruz, John Cornyn, and Mike Lee. The Senate has not yet scheduled a vote.ing to background materials cited by the bill’s sponsors, the White House Office of Management and Budget estimates that the federal government spends more than $1 trillion annually on welfare and social service programs. Estimates of improper payments and fraud range between $233 billion and $521 billion per year.

Supporters also referenced state-level fraud investigations, including cases involving Medicaid, EBT benefits, and other federally funded programs in Minnesota, California, and New York.

The bill’s sponsors argue that adding fraud against the U.S. government to the Immigration and Nationality Act’s deportability provisions would provide federal authorities with clearer statutory authority when pursuing removal proceedings.

The legislation would apply to individuals unlawfully present in the United States who are convicted of or admit to committing fraud involving federal funds. It does not alter the underlying criminal statutes governing fraud, identity theft, or benefit misuse but instead adds immigration consequences tied to those violations.

Taylor first introduced the measure on March 6, 2025, with more than two dozen House Republicans joining as original cosponsors. Additional members later signed on.

The House vote now sends the bill to the Senate, where its prospects will depend on whether it secures sufficient support to advance. If approved by the Senate and signed into law, the measure would amend federal immigration statutes to expand deportation eligibility based on government benefit fraud.

The legislation marks one of several House actions this session aimed at tightening enforcement mechanisms within the immigration system and linking criminal conduct involving public funds to removal authority.