Acted Negatively for Reduce Chain Migration

Acted Negatively for Reduce Visa Lottery

Acted Negatively for Reduce Unnecessary Worker Visas

Took Positive Action for Refugees & Asylees

Took Weak Positive Action for Reduce Amnesty Enticements

Acted Negatively for End Birthright Citizenship

Acted Negatively for Reduce Illegal Immigration Rewards

Took Strong Positive Action for Strengthen Border Security

Took Strong Positive Action for Strengthen Interior Enforcement

2016: Voted to invoke cloture on S. 2193 to increase penalties for repeat illegal border crossers and criminal aliens (Cruz) Sen. Tillis voted to invoke cloture and begin debate on S. 2193, Kates Law. S. 2193 would impose increase penalties, including mandatory sentencing requirements, for repeat illegal border crossers and criminal aliens. The bills sponsor is Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas)

2015: Cosponsored legislation to Halt Refugee Resettlement from Syria and Iraq (Kirk) Sen. Tillis has cosponsored S. 2435, the Defend America Act of 2015. The bill would halt the resettlement of refugees from Syria or Iraq. It would also require the Department of Homeland Security to send information on refugees to the states before being resettled. The bill was introduced by Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.).

2015: Cosponsored legislation to quadruple H-2B visas (Tillis) Sen. Tillis has cosponsored S. 2225, the Save Our Small and Seasonal Businesses Act of 2015. This legislation would exempt foreign workers who have received an H-2B guest-worker visa in any of the past three years from the current years annual limits. This would potentially quadruple the number of H-2B visas issued each year from 65,000 to 260,000. The bill was introduced by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).

2015: Voted for the FY2016 Omnibus Spending bill to increase foreign guest workers Sen. Tillis voted in favor of 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 in favor of H.R. 2146 to grant President authority to expand immigration levels without Congress consent via Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) Sen. Tillis 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 Adjustment Assistance 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 would set 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 Senate by a vote of 60-38.

2015: Voted in favor of granting President authority to expand immigration levels without Congress consent via Trade Promotion Authority in 2015 Sen. Tillis voted in favor of final passage of Trade Promotion Authority bill, H.R. 1314. This legislation would set 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. 1314 passed the Senate by a vote of 62-37.

2016: Cosponsored legislation to increase refugees Sen. Tillis cosponsored S. 2708, the Religious Persecution Relief Act. This legislation would allow for up to 10,000 Syrian religious minority refugees for at least 4 years without any reforms to the existing refugee resettlement process.

2015: Cosponsored legislation to Halt Refugee Resettlement from Syria (Vitter) Sen. Tillis has cosponsored S. 2284, the Syrian Refugee Verification and Safety Act. The bill would halt Syrian refugees from being resettled in the U.S. until Congress passes a joint resolution. The bill was introduced by Sen. David Vitter (R-La.).

2015: Cosponsored legislation to Halt Refugee Resettlement from Syria and Iraq (Kirk) Sen. Tillis has cosponsored S. 2435, the Defend America Act of 2015. The bill would halt the resettlement of refugees from Syria or Iraq. It would also require the Department of Homeland Security to send information on refugees to the states before being resettled. The bill was introduced by Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.).

2015: Voted for the FY2016 Omnibus Spending bill to increase refugee resettlement Sen. Tillis voted in favor of 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: Voted against Attorney General nominee who supports amnesty Sen. Tillis voted against Loretta Lynchs confirmation as Attorney General. The Office of the Attorney General, the top law enforcement office in the country, is a position that should be reserved for qualified individuals with the utmost regard for the rule of law. Unfortunately, while Ms. Lynch served honorably as the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, she indicated during the confirmation process that she did not have that regard for duly enacted immigration laws. She deemed reasonable President Obamas unprecedented and unconstitutional amnesties. Her dismissive attitude about the seriousness of enforcing immigration laws was largely explained in her initial answer to Senate questioning about whether the priority for U.S. jobs should be that they go to unlawfully present foreign workers or to legal workers of our nation. Ms. Lynch answered that everybody should be getting U.S. jobs regardless of their legal status, despite the fact that the primary purpose of immigration laws is to protect vulnerable American workers. As a result, NumbersUSA took an unusual step and scored the vote for the confirmation of Ms. Lynch as a vote against against the rule of law, and against the interests of American workers. Ms. Lynch was confirmed by a vote of 56 to 43.

2015: Voted AGAINST McConnell substitute amendment to H.R. 240 to fund Executive Amnesties Sen. Tillis voted AGAINST the McConnell amendment to substitute the text of HR 240 with language that would provide full and unrestricted funding for President Obamas unconstitutional and illegal Executive Amnesties. After a series of 4 failed attempts to invoke cloture and move to debate on H.R. 240 (the House-passed DHS Appropriations bill that included language to de-fund Pres. Obamas Executive Amnesties), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) struck a deal with Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to move a clean DHS bill that would fund the amnesties through September 2015. Voting against the McConnell substitute amendment was a clear sign that a Senator was willing protect struggling American workers who will have to compete for scarce jobs with millions of unlawful immigrants. It was also a vote against ceding Congress constitutional powers to a President who has shown absolute disdain for the rule of law and the separation of powers at the very core of our Constitution. Senators cannot expect the judicial branch to reclaim the legislative powers for which they are unwilling to fight. The McConnell Amendment passed by a vote of 66 to 33.

2015: Voted FOR Executive Amnesty by voting against Sessions/Lee motion to allow possibility of de-funding Executive Amnesty in DHS Appropriations Sen. Tillis voted against the Sessions/Lee motion to table the amendment tree on H.R. 240. After a series of 4 failed attempts to invoke cloture and move to debate on H.R. 240 (the House-passed DHS Appropriations bill that included language to de-fund Pres. Obamas Executive Amnesties), Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) struck a deal with Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) to move a clean DHS bill that would fund the amnesties through September 2015. As part of this deal, Majority Leader McConnell filled the amendment tree in order to provide full funding for President Obamas unconstitutional and illegal amnesties and block all other amendments to H.R. 240. This was especially outrageous given that Leader McConnell promised to restore regular order and an open amendment process when he became Senate Leader in January 2015. In response, Senators Sessions (R-AL) and Lee (R-UT) filed a motion to table the amendment tree, thus allowing amendments to the bill and the possibility of restoring the de-funding language. Thus, a vote against the Sessions/Lee motion to table the amendment tree was a vote for amnesty and lawlessness a vote against the open process. The Sessions/Lee motion to table failed by a vote of 34 to 65.

2015: Voted for THIRD Motion to bring H.R. 240 (DHS Appropriations bill) to de-fund Executive Amnesty to Senate floor Sen. Tillis voted in favor of the THIRD cloture motion to allow the Senate to begin debate on the House-passed DHS Appropriations bill (H.R. 240) that includes language to de-fund President Obamas Executive Amnesties, including DACA and his November 2014 amnesty to give work permits to up to 5 million illegal aliens. DHS funding runs out at the end of February 2015 and President Obama has threatened to veto any appropriations bill that includes language to de-fund his amnesties, essentially saying his amnesty is more important than funding for DHS. No Senate Democrats voted to allow the bill to the Senate floor for debate. The motion failed by a vote of 52 - 47 (60 votes required for passage).

2015: Voted for SECOND Motion to bring H.R. 240 (DHS Appropriations bill) to de-fund Executive Amnesty to Senate floor Sen. Tillis voted in favor of the SECOND cloture motion to allow the Senate to begin debate on the House-passed DHS Appropriations bill (H.R. 240) that includes language to de-fund President Obamas Executive Amnesties, including DACA and his November 2014 amnesty to give work permits to up to 5 million illegal aliens. DHS funding runs out at the end of February 2015 and President Obama has threatened to veto any appropriations bill that includes language to de-fund his amnesties, essentially saying his amnesty is more important than funding for DHS. No Senate Democrats voted to allow the bill to the Senate floor for debate. The motion failed by a vote of 53 - 47 (60 votes required for passage).

2015: Voted for FIRST Motion to Proceed to Debate on DHS Appropriations bill (H.R. 240) to de-fund Executive Amnesty Sen. Tillis voted in favor of a cloture motion to allow the Senate to begin debate on the House-passed DHS Appropriations bill (H.R. 240) that includes language to de-fund President Obamas Executive Amnesties, including DACA and his November 2014 amnesty to give work permits to up to 5 million illegal aliens. DHS funding runs out at the end of February 2015 and President Obama has threatened to veto any appropriations bill that includes language to de-fund his amnesties, essentially saying his amnesty is more important than funding for DHS. No Senate Democrats voted to allow the bill to the Senate floor for debate. The motion failed by a vote of 51-48.

2015: Voted for FOURTH Motion to bring H.R. 240 (DHS Appropriations bill) to de-fund Executive Amnesty to Senate floor Sen. Tillis voted in favor of the FOURTH cloture motion to allow the Senate to begin debate on the House-passed DHS Appropriations bill (H.R. 240) that includes language to de-fund President Obamas Executive Amnesties, including DACA and his November 2014 amnesty to give work permits to up to 5 million illegal aliens. DHS funding runs out at the end of February 2015 and President Obama has threatened to veto any appropriations bill that includes language to de-fund his amnesties, essentially saying his amnesty is more important than funding for DHS. No Senate Democrats voted to allow the bill to the Senate floor for debate. The motion failed by a vote of 47-46 (60 votes required for passage).

2015: Voted in favor of McCain amdt to S. Con. Res. 11 to support expedited removal of illegal aliens Sen. Tillis voted in favor of the McCain amendment to the Senate Budget Resolution, S. Con. Res 11. Sen. McCains original amendment called for the expedited removal of unaccompanied minors from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. Those three countries were the source of the unprecedented border surge along the U.S.-Mexico border during the summer of 2014. But his original amendment also included a provision that would allow for the creation of in-country processing of refugees in those three countries. After NumbersUSA pointed out to Senators that the Central American migrants are not fleeing government persecution, and so do not qualify as refugees, but are instead seeking the benefits of the Presidents rewriting of our immigration law, Sen. McCain removed the in-country processing language, and NumbersUSA supported the amendment. Since the amendment was part of a Budget Resolution, it is non-binding and doesnt force a change in the current policy that allows unaccompanied minors from those three countries to be treated differently than those from Mexico or Canada. If the provision, however, remains in the budget resolution thats eventually approved by both chambers of Congress, it allows appropriators later to set spending levels for the 2016 fiscal year that call for the expedited removal of illegal aliens from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. The amendment passed 58-to-42 (including the support of three Democrats and one Independent also Sens. Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Angus King of Maine, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, and Claire McCaskill of Missouri.

2016: Voted to begin debate on legislation to end sanctuary cities (Toomey) Sen. Tillis has voted to invoke cloture on S. 3100, the Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act. The bill would help end sanctuary policies that aim to protect criminal aliens by defining sanctuary jurisdictions as any state or local jurisdiction that fails to communicate with federal immigration agents and refuses to comply with detainer requests. The bill would also block certain federal funds from sanctuary cities and shield local police from liability when acting on behalf of a federal immigration request.

2015: Voted to end Sanctuary Cities in 2015 (Vitter) Sen. Tillis voted in favor of cloture to open debate on S. 2146, the Stop Sanctuary Policies and Protect Americans Act. This legislation would withhold certain federal funding from jurisdictions that enact sanctuary policies, require the Department of Homeland Security to create a public list of jurisdictions that have sanctuary policies in effect, protect local law enforcement from liability in holding criminal aliens for ICE pick-up, and increase penalties for illegal re-entry into the United States. The bill is sponsored by Sen. David Vitter (R-La.).

2015: Cosponsoring legislation to strengthen immigration laws Sen. Tillis cosponsored S. 1120, legislation that would designate an illegal alien who is or was a member of a criminal gang, or who participated in gang activity knowing that such participation will promote the gangs illegal activity, is inadmissible and deportable. The bill would also require mandatory detention of such illegal aliens.