Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio, recently introduced legislation to tackle illegal visa overstays, requiring non-immigrants to pay a bond. The point of his legislation is to ensure a timely departure from the United States, according to a news release from his office.
"America is a welcoming nation, but we are also a nation of laws," Vance said in the release.
The proposed legislation aims to address a pressing concern in the current immigration landscape: the problem of visa overstays, the release said. Many individuals enter the U.S. on temporary nonimmigrant visas for various reasons, such as tourism, work or education.
Vance's "Timely Departure Act" introduces a visa bond system which would have non-immigrant recipients deposit funds into a holding account with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security before entering the country. If the visa holders leave the U.S. in accordance with their visa, the money would be returned to them, according to the release.
If there is an "illegal overstay," DHS would retain the funds for detention or removal of illegal aliens., the release said. Bond amounts would be $5,000 to $15,000.
The move is seen as an effort to bring some sanity to what Vance calls a broken immigration system, the release reported.
"There are millions of people in this country who have abused our visa system and circumvented our legal immigration process," Vance added, according to the release. "It is a slap in the face to the working-class Ohioans whose wages are suffering – I will not stand for it. I'm proud to introduce this legislation and bring some sanity to our broken immigration system."
Estimates from DHS reportedly put the number of visa overstays at approximately 700,000 each year, according to the release.
According to the proposed legislation, the visa holders would need to claim asylum before the visa expiration, the release said. After the visa expires, the non-immigrant would be unable to claim defensive asylum.
"The visa bond program created by this legislation would not apply to aliens from countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program, whose overstay rates are relatively low," the release reported.
