Acted Negatively for Reduce Chain Migration

Acted Negatively for Reduce Visa Lottery

Acted Negatively for Reduce Unnecessary Worker Visas

Acted Negatively for Refugees & Asylees

Acted Negatively for Reduce Amnesty Enticements

Acted Negatively for End Birthright Citizenship

Acted Negatively for Reduce Illegal Immigration Rewards

Took Weak Positive Action for Strengthen Border Security

Took Strong Positive Action for Strengthen Interior Enforcement

2014: Leadership points for writing to President Obama about DACA and immigration laws Sen. Cornyn cowrote a letter to President Obama, urging him to end his DACA program, stop catching and releasing illegal aliens, improve support for local police agencies, and expedite the removal of illegal aliens caught at the Southern border.

2013: Voted in favor of invoking cloture on legislation to expand chain migration (Schumer) Sen. Cornyn in favor of invoking cloture on S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, the Gang of Eights comprehensive amnesty bill. The legislation would amnesty and provide a pathway to citizenship for 11-18 million illegal aliens living in the United States and drastically increase legal immigration to the United States. The legislation does mandate use of the E-Verify system, ends the visa lottery, and increases border patrol manpower (though, without spelling out the duties of the additional agents). The motion passed 82-15. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is bills main sponsor.

2013: Voted in favor of legislation to increase chain migration (Schumer) Sen. Cornyn voted in favor of S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, the Gang of Eights comprehensive amnesty bill, in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The legislation would amnesty and provide a pathway to citizenship for 11-18 million illegal aliens living in the United States and drastically increase legal immigration to the United States. The legislation does mandate use of the E-Verify system, ends the visa lottery, and increases border patrol manpower (though, without spelling out the duties of the additional agents). The bill passed in committee 14-4. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is bills main sponsor.

2013: Voted in favor of invoking cloture on legislation to increase foreign worker visas (Schumer) Sen. Cornyn in favor of invoking cloture on S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, the Gang of Eights comprehensive amnesty bill. The legislation would amnesty and provide a pathway to citizenship for 11-18 million illegal aliens living in the United States and drastically increase legal immigration to the United States. The legislation does mandate use of the E-Verify system, ends the visa lottery, and increases border patrol manpower (though, without spelling out the duties of the additional agents). The motion passed 82-15. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is bills main sponsor.

2013: Voted in favor of legislation to increase foreign worker visas (Schumer) Sen. Cornyn voted in favor of S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, the Gang of Eights comprehensive amnesty bill, in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The legislation would amnesty and provide a pathway to citizenship for 11-18 million illegal aliens living in the United States and drastically increase legal immigration to the United States. The legislation does mandate use of the E-Verify system, ends the visa lottery, and increases border patrol manpower (though, without spelling out the duties of the additional agents). The bill passed in committee 14-4. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is bills main sponsor.

2014: Cosponsored legislation to weaken border security (Cuellar) Rep. Cornyn has cosponsored H.R. 5114, legislation intended to address the surge of unaccompanied alien children (UACs) on the Southwest border, but would actually make the situation much worse. Though the distinction between UACs from Mexico and other countries is removed, it exposes all of them to a complicated process which would further delay returning the children to their countries of origin. Further, it explicitly grants immigration judges the ability to unilaterally expunge an aliens notice to appear (NTA) or final order of removal at whim, assuming they were received between January 1, 2013, and enactment, giving eligible aliens multiple bites at the apple and setting a devastating precedent for immigration law. While the bill makes small beneficial changes like the addition of 40 new immigration judges, requires DHS to improve Border Security resources and equipment, and requires background checks on UAC sponsors, it implements provisions from the McCaul Border Security bill (H.R. 1417), which actually weakens current law while only requiring a plan to secure the border.

2013: Voted in favor of invoking cloture on legislation to increase refugee and asylum fraud (Schumer) Sen. Cornyn in favor of invoking cloture on S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, the Gang of Eights comprehensive amnesty bill. The legislation would amnesty and provide a pathway to citizenship for 11-18 million illegal aliens living in the United States and drastically increase legal immigration to the United States. The legislation does mandate use of the E-Verify system, ends the visa lottery, and increases border patrol manpower (though, without spelling out the duties of the additional agents). The motion passed 82-15. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is bills main sponsor.

2013: Voted in favor of legislation to increase refugee fraud (Schumer) Sen. Cornyn voted in favor of S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, the Gang of Eights comprehensive amnesty bill, in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The legislation would amnesty and provide a pathway to citizenship for 11-18 million illegal aliens living in the United States and drastically increase legal immigration to the United States. The legislation does mandate use of the E-Verify system, ends the visa lottery, and increases border patrol manpower (though, without spelling out the duties of the additional agents). The bill passed in committee 14-4. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is bills main sponsor.

2014: Voted Against Blocking Obamas Mass Amnesty Sen. Cornyn voted against the Point of Order raised by Sen. Ted Cruz as to the constitutionality of the executive amnesty issued by President Obama. Doing so during a vote on H.R. 83, the CROmnibus, acted as a vote to stop this unlawful amnesty, and a vote against Sen. Cruzs Point of Order was a vote in favor of the presidents amnesty.

2014: Voted in favor of motion to help end DACA (Sessions) Sen. Cornyn voted in favor of an amendment to 2648, the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2014. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid had already offered the maximum number of amendments (in a practice called filling the tree) to the legislation with the express purpose of preventing Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex) from offering his legislation to defund DACA. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) offered an amendment, # 3751, to remove all of Sen. Reids amendments so that Sen. Cruzs could be considered. This motion failed 43-52.

2013: Opposed amendment that promised border security after amnesty for 11 million illegal aliens (Schumer-Corker-Hoeven) Sen.Cornyn voted against the Schumer-Corker-Hoeven amendment to S. 744, the Gang of Eights comprehensive amnesty legislation. This amendment was a political ploy by pro-amnesty Senators to pass a bill (S. 744) that was otherwise headed for defeat. As such, a vote in favor of the amendment is graded here as a vote in favor of the full S. 744 amnesty. The Schumer-Corker-Hoeven amendment promised a so-called border surge after 11-18 million illegal aliens receive legal protected status, work permits, and de facto amnesty. In fact, however, the amendment would weaken current law (calling for entry-exit system at only airports and seaports as opposed to all ports of entry and calling for single layer border fencing as opposed to double-layer fencing) and weaken the already-loose enforcement provisions of S. 744 by setting up a rolling amnesty for future visa overstayers. The amendment was designed to give cover to Senators who could claim they supported strong border security amendments by voting for the amendment and then voting for final passage of the bill. The amendment passed 67-27 (24 June 2013).

2013: Voted in favor of invoking cloture on legislation to amnesty illegal aliens (Schumer) Sen. Cornyn in favor of invoking cloture on S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, the Gang of Eights comprehensive amnesty bill. The legislation would amnesty and provide a pathway to citizenship for 11-18 million illegal aliens living in the United States and drastically increase legal immigration to the United States. The legislation does mandate use of the E-Verify system, ends the visa lottery, and increases border patrol manpower (though, without spelling out the duties of the additional agents). The motion passed 82-15. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is bills main sponsor.

2013: Voted in favor of legislation to amnesty illegal aliens (Schumer) Sen. Cornyn voted in favor of S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, the Gang of Eights comprehensive amnesty bill, in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The legislation would amnesty and provide a pathway to citizenship for 11-18 million illegal aliens living in the United States and drastically increase legal immigration to the United States. The legislation does mandate use of the E-Verify system, ends the visa lottery, and increases border patrol manpower (though, without spelling out the duties of the additional agents). The bill passed in committee 14-4. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is bills main sponsor.

2013: Voted in favor of invoking cloture on legislation to amnesty illegal aliens (Schumer) Sen. Cornyn in favor of invoking cloture on S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, the Gang of Eights comprehensive amnesty bill. The legislation would amnesty and provide a pathway to citizenship for 11-18 million illegal aliens living in the United States and drastically increase legal immigration to the United States. The legislation does mandate use of the E-Verify system, ends the visa lottery, and increases border patrol manpower (though, without spelling out the duties of the additional agents). The motion passed 82-15. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is bills main sponsor.

2013: Voted in favor of legislation to amnesty illegal aliens (Schumer) Sen. Cornyn voted in favor of S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act, the Gang of Eights comprehensive amnesty bill, in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The legislation would amnesty and provide a pathway to citizenship for 11-18 million illegal aliens living in the United States and drastically increase legal immigration to the United States. The legislation does mandate use of the E-Verify system, ends the visa lottery, and increases border patrol manpower (though, without spelling out the duties of the additional agents). The bill passed in committee 14-4. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is bills main sponsor.

2014: Cosponsored legislation to weaken border security (Cornyn) Sen. Cornyn has cosponsored S. 2611, legislation to allow for the expedited removal of UACs from noncontiguous countries. This legislation also contains key parts of Rep. Mike McCauls Border Security Results Act of 2013, which weakens current law by requiring the Secretary of Defense to submit a plan to gain operational control of only the southern borders within 5 years. Operational control is met when the DHS determines that it has apprehended and turned back at least 90% of those who try to enter the U.S. illegally. Current law requires the Secretary of Defense to secure the entire border, and not just submit a plan.

2013: Voted in favor of amendment to increase border security (Cornyn) Sen. Cornyn voted against tabling the Cornyn amendment to S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act. This amendment would have required 90% operational security along the entire U.S. - Mexico border before illegal aliens could receive citizenship. The amendment failed 43-54 (20 June 2013).

2013: Voted in favor of an amendment to increase border security (Paul) Sen. Cornyn voted against tabling the Paul amendment to S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act. Sen. Pauls amendment would have required Congressional approval before RPI status was given to illegal aliens and required completion of the border fence. The amendment failed 37-61 (19 June 2013).

2013: Voted in favor of amendment to ensure border security (Lee) Sen. Cornyn voted in favor of the Lee amendment to S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act. The amendment would have required Congress to sign off on DHS implementation of border security strategies and certify that the strategies are operational. As the bill is written, there is no Congressional oversight or approval needed. The amendment failed 39-52, with a 3/5ths vote needed for passage (19 June 2013).

2013: Voted in favor of amendment to build double-layered border fence (Thune) Sen. Cornyn voted in favor of the Thune amendment to S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act. Sen. Thunes amendment would have required the completion of the 350 miles of reinforced, double-layered fencing described in section 102(b)(1)(A) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 before registered provisional immigrant status could be granted and to require the completion of 700 miles of such fencing before the status of registered provisional immigrants may be adjusted to permanent resident status. The amendment failed 39-54, with a 3/5ths vote necessary for passage (18 June 2013).

2013: Voted in favor of amendment to ensure effective control of the border (Grassley) Sen. Cornyn voted against tabling the Grassley amendment to S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act. The amendment would have prohibited the granting of registered provisional immigrant status until the Secretary has maintained effective control of the borders for 6 months. As written, illegal aliens receive RPI status almost immediately after the bills passage. The amendment failed 43-57 (13 June 2013).

2013: Voted in favor of an amendment to implement full entry/exit system (Paul) Sen. Cornyn voted against tabling the Paul amendment to S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act. Sen. Pauls amendment would have required implementation of a biometric entry/exit system at all points of entry. The amendment failed 37-61 (19 June 2013).

2013: Voted in favor of amendment to require biometric entry/exit system (Vitter) Sen. Cornyn voted in favor of the Vitter amendment to S. 744, the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act. This amendment would have required the implementation of a biometric entry/exit system (the US-VISIT System) at all ports of entry before illegal aliens could be granted temporary legal status or citizenship. Sen. Vitters amendment failed 36-58, with a 3/5ths vote being required for passage (18 June 2013).