U.S. Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas), John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Mike Lee (R-Utah) have introduced the Deporting Fraudsters Act, a bill aimed at making defrauding the United States or unlawfully obtaining public benefits grounds for inadmissibility and deportability under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Senator Cruz stated, “Americans who meet eligibility requirements should be the only ones to receive taxpayer-funded benefits. Under the Biden administration’s border policies, abuse of these programs by illegal aliens increased. This bill will stem that abuse, and I urge my colleagues to pass this bill without delay.”
Senator Cornyn commented, “Illegal aliens who falsify documents, steal identities, and cheat the system to gain public benefits meant for American citizens, including SNAP or Medicaid, should unquestionably be deported. By ensuring any illegal alien who defrauds the U.S. government can be removed from our country, this commonsense legislation would end the America-last policies of Joe Biden and rightfully put Americans first.”
Senator Lee added, “For too long, illegal aliens have taken advantage of and burdened our bloated welfare system, contributing to waste, fraud, and abuse. By some estimates, these individuals receive $42 billion in public benefits every year. This bill will ensure that illegal aliens who steal the tax dollars of hardworking Americans are subject to deportation. As Democrats put crucial programs like SNAP at risk in a cynical attempt to hold the American people hostage for political gain, it is more important than ever to ensure that public benefits are focused on U.S. citizens and legal residents. Those who invade our country and then abuse our generosity through fraud and theft should be promptly deported.”
The House has introduced companion legislation led by Rep. Dave Taylor (R-Ohio-02). He said: “The last Administration’s open border policies put our communities at risk and made every state a border state. Under President Trump, Republicans are bringing back common sense. If an illegal alien defrauds the United States or steals benefits from our country’s most vulnerable, it should be a no-brainer that they be permanently removed from the United States. Law abiding, hard-working Ohioans should not have their tax dollars stolen by illegal aliens who then walk free in our Nation, and I’m proud to champion this bill in the House as Senator Cruz leads the charge in the Senate.”
In 2023 data cited by lawmakers shows nearly half of households headed by undocumented immigrants received food-related welfare assistance; about 17% used SNAP specifically; overall about 59% accessed one or more types of welfare such as cash aid or Medicaid.
Currently under federal law—the Immigration and Nationality Act—welfare fraud is not listed among offenses leading directly to removal or inadmissibility for non-citizens; instead it references broader categories such as “moral turpitude,” which can result in inconsistent enforcement.
Ted Cruz has previously secured electoral victories against Colin Allred in 2024 with 53.1% of votes compared to Allred's 44.6%, Beto O'Rourke in 2018 with 50.9% versus O'Rourke's 48.3%, and Paul Sadler in 2012 with 56.5% over Sadler's 40.6%.
