Deporting Fraudsters Act of 2026
Floor Speech
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Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 1958.
This bill was inspired by the allegations of fraud in Minnesota that a conservative YouTuber claims to have discovered, and it is part and parcel of the Trump administration's deadly assault on Minnesota.
The Trump administration used these fraud allegations to surge thousands of lawless ICE and Border Patrol agents into Minnesota who used increasingly violent tactics to terrorize communities, to kidnap people off the streets, to break into homes without a warrant, to deploy chemical weapons, and to assault anyone who dared to peacefully and lawfully protest, observe, or record their activities.
We can never forget that ICE's lawless actions resulted in the killings of two U.S. citizens. Renee Good, a mother of three, had just dropped one of her three children off at school and stopped to support her neighbors when an ICE agent shot her not once, not twice, but three times at point blank range and killed her.
Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse, tried to help a peaceful observer whom Federal agents had shoved to the ground when several agents attacked him, wrestled him to the ground, and, Mr. Speaker, shot him 10 times.
The harm that the Trump administration inflicted on Minnesota has resulted in generational trauma on people of all statuses, all in the name of so-called fraud. However, this was never about fraud. We know that because the Department of Justice under President Biden began investigating these crimes back in 2022. Likewise, the bill before us today it is not really about fraud either.
Current law already allows people to be deported for committing fraud. Individuals can become deportable if they are convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude, or CIMT, for which a sentence of 1 year or longer may be imposed. The fraud offenses in this bill carry maximum penalties between 1 and 30 years, which clearly meet the 1-year minimum required for deportability.
Additionally, multiple fraud offenses are specifically defined as aggravated felonies, if the crime carries a sentence of 1 year or more. Conviction or an aggravated felony makes a person deportable, but the key word here, Mr. Speaker, is ``conviction.''
This bill is really about stripping due process and making it easier to deport immigrants with lawful status, like green card holders. Under this bill, a green card holder who has been in this country for decades could be deported without a conviction. Under current law, most deportability grounds require a person to be convicted of a crime.
As a result, if this bill were to become law, it would be easier to deport someone for fraud offenses than it would be to deport them for murder, rape, or sexual abuse of a minor.
We should all ask ourselves: Why are Republicans again trying to deport people who came here legally without requiring a criminal conviction and without any due process?
Why are they constantly trying to fearmonger Americans into thinking that fraud among immigrants is a giant problem?
Could it be, Mr. Speaker, to distract from the mega corporations that are bankrolling Republican campaigns, getting Republican tax cuts, all while screwing working Americans and spiking prices?
At a time when DHS agents are killing, arresting, and unlawfully entering the homes of U.S. citizens and immigrants alike, when the Department of Homeland Security is defying court orders, violating constitutional rights, and unleashing violence and chaos in cities across the country, the Republican response is to hand this out-of- control agency yet even more power.
This is another bill that is straight out of the Republican playbook that we have seen over and over again. It is an attack on two things that have been a core part of America since day one: immigration and due process. I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill.
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