2007-2008: Cosponsored a bill to increase the number of foreign workers (Stupak).
Rep. Flake cosponsored the Save Our Small and Seasonal Businesses Act of 2007 (HR 1843). The bill would exempt any alien who has been present in the United States as an H-2B nonimmigrant worker for any one of the previous three fiscal years and who is returning to work as an H-2B from counting against the 66,000-per-year cap on H-2B visas. This potentially triples the number of workers in a year and would make these provisions effective for five years. Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) was the main sponsor of this bill.

2007-2008: Cosponsored a bill to drastically increase foreign-worker importation (Gutierrez).
Rep. Flake is a cosponsor of H.R. 1645 to establish the H-2C guestworker program, through which 400,000 new workers (plus their spouses and minor children on an unlimited basis) may come to the United States annually. In addition, it would allow the annual cap on H-2C visas to be increased to as many as 600,000. These guestworkers would be allowed to stay up to six years, during which time they could petition for lawful permanent resident (LPR) status at any time. In addition to the H-2C provisions, the STRIVE Act would more than double the number of employment-based (EB) immigrant visas available annually; would exempt EB immigrants seeking admission to work in shortage occupations from numerical caps through fiscal year 2017; would vastly increase the cap on H-1B visas (i.e., a minimum cap of 115,000 per year); would create various permanent exemptions from numerical caps on admission for high skill aliens; would extend the authorized stay of L-1 intracompany transferee/specialized knowledge nonimmigrants (no cap on these visas) for whom applications for LPR status are pending. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) was the main sponsor of this bill.

2007-2008: Cosponsored a bill to increase importation of foreign nurses (Shadegg).
Rep. Flake is a cosponsor of H.R. 1358 to increase the importation of foreign nurses by 50,000 a year, and, in any year the cap is met, the next years cap would be increased by 20 percent. Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ark.) is the main sponsor of this bill.

2007: Voted against an amendment to reduce the time period of a countrys temporary protected status. Rep. Flake voted against the Forbes amendment to HR 2638, which would prohibit funds pursuant to this bill from being used to extend the temporary protected status designation of a country. This amendment failed 123-298.

2007-2008: Cosponsored a bill to grant amnesty to Liberian refugees (Kennedy).
Rep. Flake cosponsored the Liberian Refugee Immigration Protection Act of 2007, a bill which would grant permanent lawful resident status to Liberian national aliens (including those present in the United States who have been ordered excluded, deported, removed, or ordered to depart voluntarily) who were eligible for Temporary Protected Status This bill was sponsored by Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.).

2007-2008: Cosponsored a bill to reward illegal aliens with amnesty (Gutierrez).
Rep. Flake is a cosponsor of H.R. 1645 to grant amnesty to nearly all of the 12 million illegal aliens in the United States by one of several routes. Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) is the main sponsor of this bill.

2008: Voted for an amendment to prevent illegal aliens from receiving federal housing funds.
Rep. Flake voted in favor of an amendment to H.R. 5818, the Neighborhood Stabilization Act of 2008. This amendment would prevent illegal aliens from receiving Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funds pursuant to this act. The amendment passed by a vote of 391-33.

2008: Voted for an amendment to restrict funding to businesses that hire illegal aliens.
Rep. Flake voted in favor of an amendment to HR 5819 that would prohibit SBIR or STTR awards from going to a small business concern if an unlawful alien has an ownership interest in that concern or in a concern that has interest in the small business. The amendment also prohibits SBIR and STTR awards from going to businesses that have repeatedly hired, recruited, or referred unlawful aliens. The amendment passed by a vote of 406-0, with 3 present.

2007-2008: Voted for an amendment to prohibit Social Security funds from being used to administer benefits accrued from work performed in Mexico.
Rep. Flake voted for the Gingrey amendment to HR 3043, an amendment to prohibit the use of funds by the SSA to administer Social Security benefit payments, under any agreement between the United States and Mexico establishing totalization arrangements between the two countries. The amendment passed 254-168.

2007-2008: Voted to prevent illegal aliens from voting in union elections.
Rep. Flake voted in favor of a Motion to Recommit H.R. 800, the Employee Free Choice Act of 2007. The Motion to Recommit would have recommitted H.R. 800 to the Committee on Education and Labor with instructions to report the bill back to the House with an amendment that would require that all employees allowed to vote in union elections be citizens or legal residents of the United States. Although some Representatives voted against the Motion to Recommit because it would have delayed final passage of the bill, a vote in favor of the Motion to Recommit was clearly a vote in favor of interior enforcement and against allowing illegal aliens to vote in union elections. The Motion to Recommit failed by a vote of 202-225.

2008: Signed Discharge Petition to move H.R. 4088, a bill to mandate the use of the E-Verify employment verification system, to the House floor.
Rep. Flake signed the Discharge Petition on H.R. 4088, the SAVE Act, to require use of the electronic employment eligibility verification system, E-Verify. If the petition collects 218 signatures, a simple majority, the bill can bypass the committee process and be placed on the House floor for a vote.

2007-2008: Voted in favor of an amendment to increasing funding for the construction of a border fence.
Rep. Flake voted in favor of the Brown-Waite amendment to HR 2638. This amendment re-directs $89 million set to be appropriated to the Undersecretary for Managements account to the Border Security Fencing, Infrastructure, and Technology Account, with a view towards constructing at least 700 miles of fencing along the southern border. The amendment was adopted 241-179.

2008: Voted for a bill that continues employment verification.
Rep. Flake voted in favor of H.R. 6633, a bill to reauthorize the E-Verify program for a period of 5 years. The E-Verify program allows businesses to determine the legal status of new hires and prevents illegal aliens from being hired, thus making the program an important tool in the Attrition through Enforcement anti-illegal immigration strategy. The bill passed by a vote of 407-2.

2008: Voted in favor of punishing sanctuary cities.
Rep. Flake voted in favor of a motion to H.R. 5719, the Taxpayer Assistance and Simplification Act. This motion would have recommitted H.R. 5719 with instructions to add language to deny tax exempt interest with respect to bonds of sanctuary states and cities, thereby putting pressure on cities that do not enforce immigration laws and cities who do not cooperate with federal authorities on immigration matters. This motion failed by a vote of 210-210.

2008: Signed Discharge Petition to move H.R. 4088, a bill to mandate the use of the E-Verify employment verification system, to the House floor.
Rep. Flake signed the Discharge Petition on H.R. 4088, the SAVE Act, to require use of the electronic employment eligibility verification system, E-Verify. If the petition collects 218 signatures, a simple majority, the bill can bypass the committee process and be placed on the House floor for a vote.

2007-2008: Voted on House floor for amendment to fully fund the training of immigration enforcement officers.
Rep. Flake voted in favor of the Drake Amendment to H.R. 2638, the appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security. The Drake Amendment would fully fund the presidents budget request ($26.4 million) for the training and support for the voluntary participation of local law enforcement officers in immigration law enforcement. This amendment passed 286-127.

2007: Voted for 2nd Tancredo Amendment to H.R. 2638, thereby voting to hold cities with sanctuary policies accountable. Rep. Flake voted in favor of the amendment to H.R. 2638. The amendment prohibits funds pursuant to this bill from being distributed to states and localities that have sanctuary policies in place that prohibit or inhibit communications between Federal and state/local authorities. The amendment passed 234-189 on June 15

2007-2008: Voted against an amendment to reduce funding for the visa waiver program.
Rep. Flake voted against the first Tancredo amendment to H.R. 2638, which would prohibit funding from H.R. 2638 from being used to fund the visa waiver program. This amendment failed 76-347.