Took Strong Positive Action for Reduce Chain Migration

Acted Negatively for Reduce Visa Lottery

Acted Negatively for Reduce Unnecessary Worker Visas

Took Strong Positive Action for Refugees & Asylees

Took Strong Positive Action for Reduce Amnesty Enticements

Took Strong Positive Action for Limit Birthright Citizenship

Took Strong Positive Action for Reduce Illegal Immigration Rewards

Took Strong Positive Action for Strengthen Border Security

Took Strong Positive Action for Strengthen Interior Enforcement

2016: Cosponsoring legislation to target visa overstayers Rep. Sessions cosponsored H.R. 5102, the Interior Immigration Enforcement Act. This legislation would criminalize foreign nationals who overstay their visas.

2016: Cosponsored legislation to ensure use of correct immigration terms Rep. Sessions cosponsored H.R. 4926, the Stopping Partisan Policy at the Library of Congress Act, which would direct the Librarian of Congress to retain the headings Aliens and Illegal aliens in the Library of Congress Subject Headings.

2016: Rep. Pete Sessions pushed for passage of the Gosar amendment on the House floor during debate of the FY17 defense spending bill. The Gosar amendment would have blocked the DOD for enlisting illegal aliens through the MAVNI program.

2015: Cosponsored legislation to end sanctuary cities (Poe) Rep. Sessions has cosponsored H.R. 4032, the States Right of Refugee Refusal Act of 2015. The legislation would prevent the federal government from resettling refugees in states where the government has formally disapproved of resettlement. The bill was introduced by Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas).

2015: Cosponsored legislation to allow states to block refugee resettlement (Poe) Rep. Sessions has cosponsored H.R. 4197, the State Refugee Security Act of 2015. The bill allows governors to halt refugee resettlement in their states if there is a security risk to the state. The bill was introduced by Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas).

2015: Cosponsoring legislation to deter illegal immigration Rep. Sessions 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: Cosponsored legislation to require accurate immigration statistics Rep. Sessions cosponsored H.R. 3151, the Arrest Statistics Reporting Act of 2015. This legislation would require Immigration and Customs Enforcement to publish detailed arrest statistics for illegal aliens.

2015: Cosponsored Resolution to Declare President Obamas Executive Amnesty Illegal (Mulvaney) Rep. Sessions cosponsored H. Con. Res. 28, a resolution that expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that President Barack Obamas executive actions on immigration are illegal. The resolutions main sponsor is Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R-SC).

2015: Cosponsoring bill to end non-nuclear family chain migration (Hice) Rep. Sessions is a cosponsor of the Nuclear Family Priority Act, H.R. 604. The current annual limits on green cards are 78,000 parents, 65,000 adult brothers and sisters, 23,400 married sons and daughters and 23,400 unmarried adult sons and daughters. H.R. 604 would eliminate the latter three categories, create a special non-working visa for parents, and not provide an increase in any other category, thereby directly decreasing overall immigration by more than 111,800 per year (1.118 million a decade). This would indirectly reduce the numbers by even more over time as there would be fewer recent immigrants who are the ones most likely to bring people into the country as spouses or parents of U.S. citizens. The bills main sponsor is Rep. Jody Hice (R-Ga.).

2015: Voted for the FY2016 Omnibus Spending bill to increase foreign guest workers Rep. Sessions 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 to grant the President authority to expand immigration levels without Congress consent via Trade Promotion Authority (TPA)‚ Rep. Sessions 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.

2016: Cosponsored legislation to expedite the removal of UACs Rep. Sessions cosponsored H.R. 4720, the Expedited Family Reunification Act. This legislation would amend the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008 to provide for the expedited removal of unaccompanied alien children who are not victims of a severe form of trafficking in persons and who do not have a fear of returning to their country of nationality or last habitual residence.

2016: Cosponsored legislation to halt certain refugee resettlement Rep. Sessions cosponsored H.R. 5816, legislation that would suspend refugee resettlement for aliens from Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen (terror-sponsoring nations) until Congress passes a joint resolution. The legislation also calls for reports on national security threats and benefit costs to refugees.

2016: Cosponsoring legislation to end mass amnesty for illegal aliens Rep. Sessions cosponsored H.R. 5141, the Central American Amnesty Termination Act. This legislation would defund the Central American Minors program that helps identify refugee candidates in Central American and relocates them to the United States.

2016: Cosponsored legislation to reform the refugee system (Labrador) Rep. Sessions cosponsored H.R. 4731, the Refugee Program Integrity Restoration Act. This legislation would: 1) set refugee cap at 60,000, 2) terminate refugee status for those that return to their countries of origin (absent a change in conditions), 3) remove DHSs ability to waive various grounds of inadmissibility for refugee admissions, 4) allow recurrent security vetting of refugees prior to LPR status adjustment, 5) bump back LPR status for refugees from 1 to 3 years, 6) adjust DHSs authority during LPR adjustment, 7) prohibit resettlement in states/localities that refuse resettlement, 8) adjust screening process to reduce fraud, and 9) clarify that displacement or generalized conflicts alone do not qualify an individual for refugee status under the law.

2015: Cosponsored legislation to reduce refugee resettlement (McCaul) Rep. Sessions has cosponsored H.R. 3573, the Refugee Resettlement Oversight and Security Act of 2015, that would require Congress to pass a joint resolution each year approving the number of refugees resettled in the United States each year. This would likely reduce the resettlement of refugees into the United States by requiring greater Congressional oversight. The bill was introduced by Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas).

2015: Voted for the FY2016 Omnibus Spending bill to increase refugee resettlement Rep. Sessions 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: Cosponsored legislation to reform Americas refugee and asylum system Rep. Sessions 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.

2015: Cosponsored legislation to curtail border surge (Carter) Rep. Sessions cosponsored H.R. 1149, the Protection of Children Act of 2015, which takes excellent steps to resolve the surge of unaccompanied alien children (UACs) along the Southwest border. First, it removes the requirement that only UACs from contiguous countries receive expedited removal. In addition, children are no longer required to make their own independent decision to withdraw their applications for admission, and immigration officers who determine such children are inadmissible may withdraw their applications and return them to their home countries. The transfer time of UACs to HHS is extended to allow for review, and various improvements are made to the SIJ visa and asylum programs. Notably, this bill requires detailed information to be reported to DHS regarding the individuals with whom UACs are placed, including name, social security number, and immigration status. DHS is required to then investigate those with unknown immigration status and initiate removal proceedings on those unlawfully present. The bills main sponsor is Rep. John Carter (R-Tex.).

2015: Cosponsored legislation to combat border surge (Chaffetz) Rep. Sessions cosponsored H.R. 1153, Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act of 2015, which represents one of the most thorough responses to the surge of unaccompanied alien children (UACs) at the Southwest border. Aside from repealing the requirements that resulted in UACs from contiguous countries receiving differing treatment than those from noncontiguous countries, this bill requires immigration officers to order all illegal entrants removed upon screening, absent an asylum claim. In order to encourage cooperation with return, foreign countries who resist repatriation will face cuts to foreign assistance. The definition of UAC is also limited further to those who do not have a parent, legal guardian, sibling over 18, aunt, uncle, grandparent, or cousin in the U.S. Further, the deadline before notification and transfer of UACs to Health and Human Services (HHS) is extended, and HHS is required to share details of the children and those with whom the children are placed with DHS. Additional judges and immigration attorneys are added in an attempt to address the current surge, while CBP is granted unimpeded access to Federal land, which includes the construction of tactical infrastructure. Finally, various changes are made to the asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile visa, and parole systems to severely limit fraud and abuse, while protecting those with legitimate claims.

2016: Voted in favor of the Gosar amendment to FY17 defense spending bill to block amnesty for DACA recipients Rep. Sessions 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. Sessions 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. Sessions 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. Sessions 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. Sessions 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: Cosponsored legislation to combat border surge (Chaffetz) Rep. Sessions cosponsored H.R. 1153, Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act of 2015, which represents one of the most thorough responses to the surge of unaccompanied alien children (UACs) at the Southwest border. Aside from repealing the requirements that resulted in UACs from contiguous countries receiving differing treatment than those from noncontiguous countries, this bill requires immigration officers to order all illegal entrants removed upon screening, absent an asylum claim. In order to encourage cooperation with return, foreign countries who resist repatriation will face cuts to foreign assistance. The definition of UAC is also limited further to those who do not have a parent, legal guardian, sibling over 18, aunt, uncle, grandparent, or cousin in the U.S. Further, the deadline before notification and transfer of UACs to Health and Human Services (HHS) is extended, and HHS is required to share details of the children and those with whom the children are placed with DHS. Additional judges and immigration attorneys are added in an attempt to address the current surge, while CBP is granted unimpeded access to Federal land, which includes the construction of tactical infrastructure. Finally, various changes are made to the asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile visa, and parole systems to severely limit fraud and abuse, while protecting those with legitimate claims.

2015: Voted in favor of Aderholt Amendment to H.R. 240 to defund Pres. Obamas Nov. 2014 amnesty Rep. Sessions 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.

2015: Voted in favor of Blackburn Amendment to H.R. 240 to defund Pres. Obamas DACA amnesty Rep. Sessions 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: Cosponsoring a bill that ends birthright citizenship (King). Rep. Sessions is cosponsoring H.R. 140, which eliminates birthright citizenship, the process that automatically grants citizenship to the estimated 350,000 U.S.-born children of illegal aliens each year. Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) is the main sponsor of this bill.

2015: Cosponsored legislation to block in-state tuition for illegal aliens (Gosar) Rep. Sessions has cosponsored H.R.3566 that would prevent illegal aliens from receiving in-state tuition. The bill specifically excludes individuals who are not legally present in the United States from receiving in-state tuition. The bill also provides U.S. citizens and legal immigrants standing in a court of law to challenge an institution of higher learning that extends in-state tuition to illegal aliens. The bill was introduced by Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.)

2015: Eliminate rewards for illegal aliens by eliminating EITC credits (Westmoreland) Rep. Sessions cosponsored Rep. Lynn Westmorelands Child Tax Credit Integrity Preservation Act, H.R.1333, that would prevent illegal aliens from receiving Child Tax Credits.

2015: Cosponsoring H.R. 1148 to reduce rewards for illegal aliens Rep. Sessions is cosponsoring H.R. 1148, the Michael Davis, Jr. in Honor of State and Local Law Enforcement Act, sponsored by Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC). This bill was known as the SAFE Act in the previous Congress. The legislation would prevent cities from providing sanctuary to illegal aliens and would provide funding for the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program (SCAAP) that reimburses states for incarcerating illegal aliens. The legislation would help reduce rewards for illegal immigration by preventing cities from providing a safe harbor for illegal aliens.

2015: Cosponsored legislation to combat border surge (Chaffetz) Rep. Sessions cosponsored H.R. 1153, Asylum Reform and Border Protection Act of 2015, which represents one of the most thorough responses to the surge of unaccompanied alien children (UACs) at the Southwest border. Aside from repealing the requirements that resulted in UACs from contiguous countries receiving differing treatment than those from noncontiguous countries, this bill requires immigration officers to order all illegal entrants removed upon screening, absent an asylum claim. In order to encourage cooperation with return, foreign countries who resist repatriation will face cuts to foreign assistance. The definition of UAC is also limited further to those who do not have a parent, legal guardian, sibling over 18, aunt, uncle, grandparent, or cousin in the U.S. Further, the deadline before notification and transfer of UACs to Health and Human Services (HHS) is extended, and HHS is required to share details of the children and those with whom the children are placed with DHS. Additional judges and immigration attorneys are added in an attempt to address the current surge, while CBP is granted unimpeded access to Federal land, which includes the construction of tactical infrastructure. Finally, various changes are made to the asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile visa, and parole systems to severely limit fraud and abuse, while protecting those with legitimate claims.

2016: Cosponsoring legislation to ensure deportation of criminals Rep. Sessions cosponsored H.R. 4856, legislation that would make aliens associated with a criminal gang inadmissible, deportable, and ineligible for various forms of relief.

2016: Cosponsored legislation to secure completion of the IDENT system Rep. Sessions cosponsored H.R. 6198. This legislation would freeze all naturalization of Legal Permanent Residents until the Automated Biometric Identification System (IDENT) is completed. It would also revoke naturalization from aliens that DHS has good cause to believe shouldnt have been eligible.

2017: Cosponsored H.R. 5224 (Babin) to cut visas to recalcitrant countries Rep. Sessions cosponsored H.R. 5224, the Criminal Alien Deportation Enforcement Act. This legislation would prohibit the issuance of visas to countries that refuse to repatriate deported aliens. Approximately 384,000 foreign nationals enter the country each year from recalcitrant countries. This legislation was introduced by Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas).

2016: Cosponsoring legislation to deport criminal aliens Rep. Sessions cosponsored H.R. 5103, the Criminal Alien Detention and Removal Act. This legislation require the deportation of criminal aliens who are subject to supervised release.

2015: Cosponsored legislation to detain criminal illegal aliens Rep. Sessions cosponsored H.R. 2942, the Stop Catch and Release Act of 2015 (Grants Law). This legislation would require the Department of Homeland Security to detain criminal aliens who commit serious crimes and complete the removal process within 90 days, thereby preventing their release and jeopardizing public safety.

2015: Cosponsoring legislation to defund sanctuary cities Rep. Sessions cosponsored H.R. 3002, the Mobilizing Against Sanctuary Cities Act. This legislation would prohibit a state or local government from receiving federal financial assistance for a minimum of one year if it restricts or prohibits a government entity or official from: (1) sending to or receiving from the responsible federal immigration agency information regarding an individuals citizenship or immigration status, or (2) maintaining or exchanging information about an individuals status. It also would require the Department of Justice to report to Congress each year a list of jurisdictions that dont cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.

2015: Cosponsored legislation to curtail border surge (Carter) Rep. Sessions cosponsored H.R. 1149, the Protection of Children Act of 2015, which takes excellent steps to resolve the surge of unaccompanied alien children (UACs) along the Southwest border. First, it removes the requirement that only UACs from contiguous countries receive expedited removal. In addition, children are no longer required to make their own independent decision to withdraw their applications for admission, and immigration officers who determine such children are inadmissible may withdraw their applications and return them to their home countries. The transfer time of UACs to HHS is extended to allow for review, and various improvements are made to the SIJ visa and asylum programs. Notably, this bill requires detailed information to be reported to DHS regarding the individuals with whom UACs are placed, including name, social security number, and immigration status. DHS is required to then investigate those with unknown immigration status and initiate removal proceedings on those unlawfully present. The bills main sponsor is Rep. John Carter (R-Tex.).

2015: Cosponsoring H.R. 1148 to increase interior enforcement Rep. Sessions is cosponsoring H.R. 1148, the Michael Davis, Jr. in Honor of State and Local Law Enforcement Act, sponsored by Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC). This bill was known as the SAFE Act in the previous Congress. This legislation would empower local law enforcement agents to enforce federal immigration laws. This legislation also requires DHS to create a national immigration violators database. This legislation would help reduce illegal immigration by empowering law enforcement officials and making it more difficult for illegal aliens to live and work in local communities.

2015: Cosponsored legislation to block funding for sanctuary cities Rep. Sessions cosponsored H.R. 3437, the Protecting American Lives Act. This legislation would block SCAAP funding and other law enforcement grants to local jurisdictions that pass ordinances or otherwise prevent local officials from cooperating the federal immigration agents.