Acted Negatively for Reduce Chain Migration

Acted Negatively for Reduce Visa Lottery

Took Weak Positive Action for Reduce Unnecessary Worker Visas

Took Strong Positive Action for Refugees & Asylees

Took Strong Positive Action for Reduce Amnesty Enticements

Acted Negatively for End Birthright Citizenship

Acted Negatively for Reduce Illegal Immigration Rewards

Acted Negatively for Strengthen Border Security

Acted Negatively for Strengthen Interior Enforcement

2015: Cosponsoring legislation to deter illegal immigration Rep. Graves cosponsored H.R. 3011, the Establishing Mandatory Minimums for Illegal Reentry Act of 2015 (Kates Law) would impose mandatory minimum sentencing on illegal aliens who illegally re-enter the country after being removed.

2015: Voted against the FY2016 Omnibus Spending bill to increase foreign guest workers Rep. Graves voted against H.R. 2029, the Omnibus Spending bill for 2016. This legislation would increase the number of H-2B low-skilled, non-agricultural guest worker visas issued in 2016 from 66,000 to 264,000. The legislation would exempt foreign workers who had received an H-2B visa in any of the past three years from the 2016 cap.

2015: Voted to grant the President authority to expand immigration levels without Congress consent via Trade Promotion Authority (TPA)‚ Rep. Graves voted in favor of final passage of Trade Promotion Authority bill, H.R. 2146‚ (NOTE: in order to pass TPA the House of Representatives split the original bill Senate-passed bill H.R. 1314 into two bills, one dealing with Trade Promotion Authority and one dealing with the TransPacific Partnership. As a result, when the legislation came back to the Senate for a final vote, the Senate had to attach the TPA language to another House-originated bill, H.R. 2146 and vote to pass that legislation). This legislation sets up fast-track procedures for the passage of trade deals negotiated by the president. Although Ambassador Froman, the U.S. Trade Representative, repeatedly assured Members of Congress that the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will not include immigration provisions that require the United States to change its laws, the Living Agreement provision of TPP means by its very terms that President Obama, or his successor, can change the provisions of the agreement however he chooses with no input whatsoever from Congress and regardless of what TPA instructs‚ H.R. 2146 passed the House by a vote of 218-208.

2015: Cosponsored legislation to Halt Syrian Refugee Resettlement (Graves) Rep. Graves has cosponsored H.R. 4048, the Syrian Refugee Verification and Safety Act. This legislation would halt refugee resettlement of foreign nationals from Syria or whose last known residence was Syria until the executive branch took several actions and Congress certifies the actions taken. The bill was introduced by Rep. Garrett Graves (R-La.).

2015: Voted against the FY2016 Omnibus Spending bill to increase refugee resettlement Rep. Graves voted against H.R. 2029, the Omnibus Spending bill for 2016. This legislation would fully fund the refugee resettlement program and include increases in funding to accommodate Pres. Obamas proposal to resettle an additional 10,000 Syrian refugees in the United States in 2016.

2015: Cosponsored legislation to reform Americas refugee and asylum system Rep. Graves cosponsored H.R. 3314, the Resettlement Accountability National Security Act of 2015. This legislation would immediately suspend all refugee resettlement until the Government Accountability Office can assess its costs to state and local municipalities and potential national security threats.

2016: Voted in favor of the Gosar amendment to FY17 defense spending bill to block amnesty for DACA recipients Rep. Graves voted for Rep. Paul Gosars amendment to the FY17 Defense Appropriations bill. The Gosar amendment would have prohibited funds from being used by the Department of Defense to enlist DACA recipients into the military through the MAVNI program. The amendment failed 210-211.

2016: Voted for King amendment to FY17 defense spending bill to block amnesty for DACA recipients Rep. Graves voted in favor of Rep. Steve Kings amendment to the FY17 Defense Appropriations bill. The King amendment would have prohibited funds from being used by the Department of Defense to enlist DACA recipients into the military. The amendment failed 207-214.

2015: Voted in favor of Brooks amendment to remove military amnesty from National Defense Authorization Act Rep. Graves voted in favor of an amendment by Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) to strip an amnesty provision from the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 1735). The provision stripped by the Brooks Amendment would have encouraged the Secretary of Defense to waive military enlistment requirements for illegal aliens who received amnesty through Pres. Obamas Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. The Brooks Amendment passed 221-to-202.

2015: Voted AGAINST funding Executive Amnesties by opposing clean DHS Appropriations bill, H.R. 240 Rep. Graves voted against final passage of H.R. 240, the DHS funding bill passed by the Senate which did not include riders to stop President Obamas unconstitutional Executive Amnesties. Although the House had originally passed H.R. 240 with these riders, the Senate stripped them out, thus fully funding the Executive Amnesties through September 2015. When the House voted on the bill as returned from the Senate, Sen. Graves firmly opposed Executive Amnesty by voting against final passage (and consequently for a temporary shut down of DHS). Funding the Presidents illegal amnesties not only made Congress complicit in the Presidents lawless behavior, it also undermined the lawsuit filed by 26 states to stop implementation of the amnesties. If Congress is unwilling to fight to protect its own legislative powers, why should the courts fight on Congresss behalf? The bill passed by a vote of 257-167.

2015: Voted in favor of Blackburn Amendment to H.R. 240 to defund Pres. Obamas DACA amnesty Rep. Graves voted in favor of the Blackburn Amendment to H.R. 240, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2015. The Blackburn Amendment would defund the processing of applications and renewals of President Obamas 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, thus making it impossible for DACA recipients to continue to receive legal status. The Blackburn Amendment passed by a vote of 218-209.

2015: Voted in favor of Aderholt Amendment to H.R. 240 to defund Pres. Obamas Nov. 2014 amnesty Rep. Graves voted in favor of the Aderholt Amendment to H.R. 240, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2015. The Aderholt Amendment would defund implementation of all Obama and DHS November 2014 memoranda; defund 4 of the 5 Morton Memos that deal with prosecutorial discretion and detail who ICE agents can and cant deport; and prohibit federal benefits from being given to any illegal alien covered by the November memoranda. The Aderholt Amendment passed by a vote of 237-190.