2006: Voted against a bill that increased chain migration.
Sen. Sessions voted against final passage of S. 2611, a bill to increase chain migration through an annual increase in the family-preference visa cap of 254,000. In addition, S. 2611 includes a one-time-only permanent increase of 105,660 visas for exempt family of unused employment-based visa holders between 2001-2005. S. 2611 passed by a vote of 62 to 36.

2006: Voted against an increase in chain migration.
Sen. Sessions voted against a motion to invoke cloture on S. 2611, which limited debate on the bill to increase chain migration through an annual increase in the family-preference visa cap of 254,000. In addition, S. 2611 includes a one-time-only permanent increase of 105,660 visas for exempt family of unused employment-based visa holders between 2001-2005. A vote against invoking cloture is essentially a vote against the bill. The motion to invoke cloture passed by a vote of 73 to 25.

2006: Voted against procedural move to increase chain migration Sen. Sessions voted against cloture on SA 3424, a compromise amnesty proposal by Sens. Hagel (R-Neb.) and Martinez (R-Fla.). The purpose of voting against allowing a final vote on this proposal varied from Senator to Senator

2006: Voted in committee against proposal to increase chain migration.
As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Sessions voted against a proposal by Committee chair Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) to increase chain migration through an annual increase in the family-preference visa cap of 254,000. In addition, the Specter proposal included a one-time-only permanent increase of 105,660 visas for exempt families of unused employment-based visa holders between 2001-2005. The Judiciary Committee passed the Specter proposal by a vote of 12 to 6.

2006: Cosponsored a bill to eliminate the visa lottery (Nelson).
Sen. Sessions was a cosponsor of S. 2368 to eliminate the visa lottery that each year awards 50,000 visas to aliens on a totally random basis. Sen. Benjamin Nelson (D-Neb.) was the main sponsor of this bill.

2006: Voted on Senate floor against S. 2611 to reward illegal aliens with amnesty Sen. Sessions voted against final passage of S. 2611 (whose main sponsor was Sen. Arlen Specter [D-Pa.]) which includes an amnesty (both immediate and deferred) for 10.2 million illegal aliens (6.7 million illegal alien workers and 3.5 million illegal alien spouses and/children). S. 2611 passed by a vote of 62 to 36 on May 25, 2006 (5:39 PM).

2006: Voted for an amendment to cap employment-based visas.
Sen. Sessions voted in favor of the Bingaman Amendment to S. 2611, which caps the number of employment-based visas for workers, spouses and children at 650,000. Robert Rector of the Heritage Foundation estimates that the Bingaman Amendment would reduce employment-based visas available under S. 2611 by about 150,000 a year. The Bingaman Amendment passed by a vote of 51 to 47.

2006: Voted for an amendment to limit a proposed guestworker program.
Sen. Sessions voted in favor of the Dorgan Amendment to S. 2611, which limits the proposed H-2C guestworker program to five years instead of 10 years. This would have reduced the number of new guestworkers under S. 2611 from two million to one million (200,000 per year for five years instead of 10 years). The Dorgan Amendment failed by a vote of 48 to 49.

2006: Voted against increasing foreign worker visas.
Sen. Sessions voted against a motion to invoke cloture on S. 2611, which would have limited debate on the bill to increase foreign worker importation by approximately 600,000 visas per year. A vote against invoking cloture is essentially a vote against the bill. The motion to invoke cloture passed by a vote of 73 to 25.

2006: Voted for an amendment that increases guestworker visas.
Sen. Sessions voted in favor of the Hutchison Amendment to S. 2611 to create a Secure Authorized Foreign Employee (SAFE) visa for nationals of a NAFTA or CAFTA. Its effect would have been to create an unnecessary guestworker visa category. The Hutchison Amendment failed by a vote of 31 to 67.

2006: Voted to reduce greencards for foreign workers.
Sen. Sessions voted against a motion to table the Kyl amendment (SA 3969) to S. 2611. The Kyl amendment would have prevented 200,000 guestworkers a year from adjusting to lawful permanent resident status on the basis of their status as a guestworker. This would have resulted in 2 million less greencards over a decade. The motion to table the Kyl amendment passed by a vote of 58 to 35, effectively killing the amendment.

2006: Voted against an amendment to weaken worker protections.
Sen. Sessions voted against the Kennedy amendment (SA 4066) to S. 2611. The Kennedy amendment weakens Sen. Cornyns amendment (SA 3965) by not requiring Federal certification of the employers need to import foreign workers. The Kennedy amendment passed by a vote of 56 to 43.

2006: Voted in favor of amendment to increase worker protections.
Sen. Sessions voted in favor of the Cornyn amendment (SA 3965) to S. 2611, which provides modest protections to American workers by requiring employers to employ aliens in the position they were hired for and requiring DHS to certify that there is, in fact, a labor shortage in that particular field before visas are made available. The Cornyn amendment passed by a vote of 50 to 48.

2006: Voted against killing an amendment that would cap guestworker visas.
Sen. Sessions voted against a motion to table the Bingaman Amendment (SA 3981) to S. 2611. The Bingaman Amendment would cap the number of H-2C visas available annually for issuance at 200,000 and remove the 20%-a-year increase in annual guestworker visas. This would reduce the 10-year increase in foreign workers and their dependents from 8.4 million, as provided in the original bill, to two million. The motion to table the Bingaman amendment failed by a vote of 18 to 79 and the Bingaman amendment ultimately passed by voice vote.

2006: Voted against killing an amendment that would strike guestworker provisions.
Sen. Sessions voted against a motion to table the Dorgan Amendment (SA 4017) to S. 2611. The Dorgan amendment would have stricken the guestworker provisions of the bill that would add an estimated 8.4 million foreign workers and their dependents over the next ten years (according to a May, 2006 study by the Heritage Foundations Robert Rector). The motion to table passed by a voted of 68 to 29, effectively killing the amendment.

2006: Voted against procedural move to increase foreign worker importation Sen. Sessions voted against cloture on SA 3424, a compromise amnesty proposal by Sens. Hagel (R-Neb.) and Martinez (R-Fla.). The purpose of voting against allowing a final vote on this proposal varied from Senator to Senator

2006: Voted in committee against a proposal to increase foreign worker visas.
As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Sessions voted against a proposal by Committee chair Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) to increase foreign workers visas. The Specter proposal includes an annual increase in employment-based visas of 754,660. As well, it includes a one-time-only permanent increase of 90,000 unused employment-based visas (2001-2005). The Specter proposal also includes an annual increase in H-1B workers visas of at least 500,000. The Judiciary Committee passed the Specter proposal by a vote of 12 to 6.

2005-2006: Voted in favor of Byrd Amendment to prevent additional foreign-worker importation
Sen. Sessions voted in favor of the Byrd Amendment to the Budget Reconciliation bill. The Byrd Amendment would have stripped a provision to increase permanent, employement-based immigration by as many as 366,000 annually. The Byrd Amendment, sponsored by Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), failed by a vote of 14 to 85 on November 3, 2005 (2:16 PM).

2005-2006: Voted in committee in favor of amendment (Sessions) to increase worker visa fees
Sen. Sessions voted in favor of the Sessions Amendment to the Specter Budget Reconciliation Plan that was attached to the Deficit Reduction Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 2005, S. 1932. The Sessions Amendment was a substitute amendment to increase L-1 fees by 1,500. The Sessions Amendment, sponsored by Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas), failed by a vote of 7 to 11.

2005-2006: Voted in committee in favor of amendment (Feinstein) to cut in half proposal to import additional foreign workers in 2005
Sen. Sessions voted as part of the Judiciary Committee in favor of the Feinstein Amendment to the Specter Budget Reconciliation Plan that was attached to Deficit Reduction Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 2005. The Feinstein Amendment cut the additional H-1B visas proposed in the Specter proposal in half (from 60,000 to 30,000) and added a 750 fee on L-1 visas. The Feinstein Amendment, sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), passed by a vote of 10-5.

2005-2006: Voted in committee in favor of amendment (Hatch) to increase overall immigration fees by 5 percent
Sen. Sessions voted as part of the Judiciary Committee in favor of the Hatch Amendment to the Specter Budget Reconciliation Plan that was attached to Deficit Reduction Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 2005. The Hatch Amendment was a substitute amendment of House bill to increase overall immigration fees by 5 percent. It would have effectively stripped the overall immigration increase from the budget reconciliation bill. The Hatch Amendment, sponsored by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), failed by a vote of 5-11.

2005-2006: Voted against amendment (Mikulski) that would increase low-skill, foreign-worker importation
Sen. Sessions was one of only six Senators to vote against an amendment to the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Tsunami Relief, 2005. The Mikulski amendment, sponsored by Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), increases the number of H-2B visas for low-skill, temporary, foreign workers from 66,000 to possibly as many as three times the number each year.

None

2006: Voted against amnesty for illegal aliens.
Sen. Sessions voted against a motion to invoke cloture on S. 2611, which includes an amnesty (both immediate and deferred) for 10.2 million illegal aliens (6.7 million illegal alien workers and 3.5 million illegal alien spouses and/children). A vote against invoking cloture is essentially a vote against the bill. The motion to invoke cloture passed by a vote of 73 to 25.

2006: Voted against amendment to reward 2 million illegal aliens with amnesty Sen. Sessions voted against the Feinstein Amendment to S. 2611 (whose main sponsor was Sen. Arlen Specter [D-Pa.]) to create an orange card that would allow an estimated two million illegal aliens to pay a fine. The amendment failed by a vote of 37 to 61.

2006: Voted for an amendment to end amnesty provisions.
Sen. Sessions voted in favor of the Vitter amendment (SA 3963) to S. 2611, which removes provisions authorizing the earned legalization and agricultural worker amnesty schemes that would grant amnesty to an estimated 16 million illegal aliens and their families (according to a May, 2006 study by the Heritage Foundations Robert Rector). The Vitter amendment failed by a vote of 33 to 66.

2006: Voted for an amendment that postpones amnesty.
Sen. Sessions voted in favor of the Cornyn amendment to S. 2611 to prohibit DHS from implementing the amnesty provisions of S. 2611 unless the agency has certified that this bills border security measures are fully operational. The Cornyn Amendment failed by a vote of 40-55.

2006: Voted against procedural move to amnesty illegal aliens Sen. Sessions voted against cloture on SA 3424, a compromise amnesty proposal by Sens. Hagel (R-Neb.) and Martinez (R-Fla.). The purpose of voting against allowing a final vote on this proposal varied from Senator to Senator

2006: Voted in committee against a proposal to reward illegal aliens with amnesty.
As a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Sessions voted against a proposal by Committee chair Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) to reward illegal aliens with amnesty. The Specter proposal includes an amnesty (both immediate and deferred) for 10.2 million illegal aliens (6.7 million illegal alien workers and 3.5 million illegal alien spouses and/children). The Judiciary Committee passed the Specter proposal by a vote of 12 to 6.

2005-2006: Voted against amnesty for agricultural workers
Sen. Sessions voted not to invoke cloture, a procedural move requiring 60 votes to limit debate and ensure a vote on the AgJOBS amnesty amendment, introduced by Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho), to the Iraq supplemental spending bill. This effectively kept the amnesty for up to 3 million illegal aliens off the final bill. The Senate voted 53 to 45 not to invoke cloture on April 19, 2005.

2006: Voted against killing an amendment to prevent Social Security for illegal aliens.
Sen. Sessions voted against a motion to table the Ensign amendment (SA 3985) to S. 2611. The Ensign amendment would have prohibited the payment of Social Security benefits for many illegal aliens. The motion to table the Ensign amendment passed by a vote of 50 to 49, effectively killing the amendment.

2005-2006: Cosponsored a bill to increase penalties for illegal aliens (Schumer).
Sen. Sessions was a cosponsor of S. 2061 to reduce rewards for illegal aliens by increasing penalties for document fraud, false claims of citizenship, and misuse of Social Security numbers and cards. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) was the main sponsor of this bill.

2005-2006: Voted to not to shield illegal aliens from prosecution for Social Security fraud
Sen. Sessions voted not to invoke cloture, a procedural move requiring 60 votes to limit debate and ensure a vote on the AgJOBS amnesty amendment, introduced by Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho), to the Iraq supplemental spending bill. This effectively kept the amnesty, which would reward illegal immigration by protecting illegal aliens granted temporary resident status from prosecution for Social Security fraud off the final bill. The Senate voted 53 to 45 not to invoke cloture on April 19, 2005.

2006: Voted for a bill to create a border fence.
Sen. Sessions voted in favor of H.R. 6061 to create a 700-mile reinforced fence along the U.S.-Mexico border, and to provide for other barriers for border control. H.R. 6061 passed by a vote of 80-19.

2006: Voted for an amendment to fund a border fence.
Sen. Sessions voted in favor of the Sessions amendment to H.R. 5631, the Department of Defense Appropriations bill. The Sessions amendment would provide for $1.8 billion for the construction of 370 miles of border fencing and 461 miles of vehicle barriers along the southern border. The Sessions amendment passed by a vote of 94-3.

2006: Voted for an amendment to extend the border fence.
Sen. Sessions voted in favor of the Sessions Amendment to H.R. 5441, the Homeland Security Appropriations bill. The Sessions Amendment would have added 370 miles of fence on the southwest border. The amendment failed by a vote of 29 to 71.

2006: Voted for an amendment that authorizes the National Guard to assist in border patrol efforts.
Sen. Sessions voted in favor of the Ensign Amendment to S. 2611, which authorizes the Governors of Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas to order their states National Guard units to assist the Border Patrol in their efforts. The Ensign Amendment passed by a vote of 83-10.

2006: Voted in favor of an amendment to create a border fence.
Sen. Sessions voted in favor of the Sessions amendment (SA 3979) to S. 2611, which calls for the construction of at least 370 miles of a border fence along the southwest border. The Sessions amendment passed by a vote of 83 to 16.

2006: Cosponsored a bill to construct a fence along the border and increasing the number of Border Patrol agents (Nelson).
Sen. Sessions was a cosponsor of S. 2368 to increase border control by providing for the construction of a fence along the U.S.-Mexico border, adding Border Patrol agents, adding facilities and detention beds for detained aliens, and mandating use of an entry-exit system. Sen. Benjamin Nelson (D-Neb.) was the main sponsor of this bill.

2005-2006: Cosponsored a bill to build a border fence and increase the number of border patrol agents (Schumer).
Sen. Sessions was a cosponsor of S. 2061 to reduce illegal immigration by increasing border controls. S. 2061 would increase border security by: requiring construction of a border fence along the U.S.-Mexico border; providing for additional Border Patrol agents; and mandating use of the entry-exit system at all ports of entry. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) was the main sponsor of this bill.

2005-2006: Voted in favor of amendment (Ensign) to DHS appropriations bill to fund U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Sen. Sessions voted in favor of the Ensign Amendment (SA 1219) to H.R. 2360 (Rogers), the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill. The Ensign Amendment transfers appropriated funds from the Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection for the purpose of hiring 1,000 additional Border Patrol agents. The amendment, sponsored by Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.), failed by a vote of 38 to 60 on July 14, 2005 (10:04 AM).

2005-2006: Voted in favor of Byrd Amendment to fund additional Border Patrol agents
Sen. Sessions voted in favor of the Byrd Amendment to H.R. 1268 (an emergency supplemental spending bill) to provide funding to hire 650 more border patrol agents. The amendment, sponsored by Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), passed 65-34 on April 20, 2005 (3:18 PM).

2006: Voted for an amendment to fund immigration investigators.
Sen. Sessions voted in favor of the Sessions Amendment to H.R. 5411, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill for 2007. The Sessions Amendment would have added $86 million for 800 additional staff to investigate immigration law violations. The amendment failed by a vote of 34 to 66.

2006: Voted for an amendment that allows local law enforcement to assist border patrol agents.
Sen. Sessions voted in favor of the Bingaman Amendment to S. 2454 to authorize grants to state, local, or tribal law enforcement agencies near the borders to assist in immigration enforcement. The Bingaman Amendment passed by a vote of 84 to 6.

2006: Cosponsored a bill that provides for the potential of law enforcement officers to enforce current immigration laws (Nelson).
Sen. Sessions was a cosponsor of S. 2368 to increase interior enforcement by mandating use of an entry-exit system, providing for potential involvement of state and local law enforcement agencies in the enforcement of immigration laws, and establishing a permanent and mandatory employment eligibility. Sen. Benjamin Nelson (D-Neb.) was the main sponsor of this bill.

2005-2006: Cosponsored a bill by encouraging local law enforcement to participate in immigration enforcement (Schumer).
Sen. Sessions was a cosponsor of S. 2061 to reduce illegal immigration through increased interior enforcement. S. 2061 would increase interior enforcement by encouraging increased involvement of state and local law enforcement in immigration law enforcement and mandating use of the entry-exit system at all ports of entry. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) was the main sponsor of this bill.

2005-2006: Voted for an amendment to add detention beds to increase interior enforcement.
Sen. Sessions voted in favor of the McCain amendment to H.R. 2360, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act. The McCain amendment would have increased the number of detention beds to those called for in the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004. The McCain amendment failed by a vote of 42 to 56.

2005-2006: Cosponsored bill to clarify state authority to enforce immigration laws (Sessions)
Sen. Sessions was a cosponsor of the Homeland Security Enhancement Act of 2005 to clarify state and local law enforcements ability to enforce immigration laws. If enacted, S. 1362 would reduce the flow of new illegal aliens into the United States and also begin to slowly and steadily reducing the current illegal population. Jeff Sessions was this bills primary sponsor.

2005-2006: Voted in favor of Byrd Amendment to fund additional immigration investigators and agents
Sen. Sessions voted in favor of the Byrd Amendment to H.R. 1268 (an emergency supplemental spending bill) to provide funding to hire 250 new immigration investigators, and 168 new immigration enforcement agents and deportation officers. The Byrd amendment also provides funds for 2,000 additional detention beds as well as funding to train the new personnel. The amendment, sponsored by Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), passed 65-34 on April 20, 2005 (3:18 PM).