IAP is driving momentum for immigration reforms in the House

Reconciliation 2.0

The push for a second budget reconciliation bill before November's midterm elections gained traction this week after the Republican Study Committee (RSC) released its framework for a second bill. The RSC is the largest conservative caucus in the House of Representatives with 188 Members.

The Immigration Accountability Project has been working closely with Members of the RSC in developing this framework. IAP's Director of Government Relations, Grant Newman, issued the following statement, which was included in the RSC's press release.

"The Immigration Accountability Project is proud to support the RSC's Making the American Dream Affordable Again reconciliation framework. This would build upon the historic success of the Working Families Tax Cuts Act by expanding the tax on remittances, blocking illegal aliens from public benefits and tax credits, and withholding federal funds from sanctuary jurisdictions and states that issue driver's licenses to illegal aliens."

House Freedom Caucus Immigration Priorities

The House Freedom Caucus (HFC) has sent House Speaker Mike Johnson its legislative priorities for 2026. These include many of IAP’s top priorities, like the SAVE Act, the PAUSE Act, and the Secure the Border Act (H.R. 2 in the last Congress).

The HFC lists its top priority as forcing the Senate to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote. IAP has been working to pass the SAVE Act since its introduction by Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) last Congress.

The HFC is also calling on Congress to codify the actions President Trump has taken to secure the border by passing the Secure the Border Act. IAP worked hand-in-hand with Congress to get this bill through the House last Congress, and we look forward to doing so again this Congress.

Perhaps most importantly, the HFC is calling on Congress to “[p]ause all immigration until we can rework the system to serve the interests of America first because our citizens shouldn't have to compete against the world to get a decent job in their own backyard to put food on the table.” That is exactly what Rep. Roy’s PAUSE Act, which IAP helped him write, would do.

Immigration Bills Moving in the House

The House Judiciary Committee started the new year strong by voting on three important immigration bills that IAP supports. Over the last two weeks, the Committee has voted to advance:

• The Deporting Fraudsters Act of 2026 (H.R. 2641) to deport aliens who admit to elements of fraud;
• The Preserving Integrity in Immigration Benefits Act (H.R. 6978) to review all immigration benefit requests approved under the Biden Administration; and
• The Day 1, Dollar 1 E-Verify Act (H.R. 1958) to require federal contractors to use E-Verify, which IAP’s Policy Director testified about last November.

Immigration Articles

Fox News: US freezes all visa processing for 75 countries, including Somalia, Russia, Iran

The State Department has indefinitely paused immigrant visa (i.e., green card) processing for more than 75 countries as it works to stop issuing visas to aliens likely to rely on taxpayer benefits.

Fox 7 Austin: DHS Sec. Noem says new 500 miles of Texas border buoys will save immigrants' lives

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced 500 new miles of border buoys in the Rio Grande, which will serve as a floating wall to prevent illegal entries.

NBC News: Trump administration to end temporary protected status for Somalis

DHS and USCIS announced that Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalia is being terminated after 35 years. Nearly 2,500 Somalis will lose TPS and will be required to leave by March 17 of this year.

Next Week

The Senate will be out next week, but the House will return on Tuesday to process all the remaining appropriations bills, except the one for the Department of Homeland Security, ahead of the January 30th deadline. It is unclear as of yet how DHS will be funded for FY 2027.