🇺🇸 Happy 250th Birthday, America!

All of us at the Immigration Accountability Project wish you and your loved ones a safe and joyful Fourth of July weekend. While the Supreme Court's decisions this week didn't all go the way we hoped (more on that below), we remain deeply motivated by the millions of patriotic Americans who stand with us every single day to fight for an America First immigration policy.

The SAVE America Act Reaches a Critical Crossroads

The Immigration Accountability Project has been at the forefront of the effort to pass the SAVE America Act–legislation that would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship and a valid photo ID when voting. The bill would return integrity to our elections and prevent noncitizens from voting. 

This week, we had a new twist in the effort to pass the SAVE America Act that ultimately shut down debate in the House and sent Members home early for the July 4th holiday.

Trump's insistence on passing the SAVE America Act

Last week, Pres. Trump abruptly canceled the signing ceremony for a major, bipartisan housing package (the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act). He made his position crystal clear: He will not sign the housing bill until Congress passes and delivers the SAVE America Act to his desk.  

Despite this move, the housing bill will automatically become law after 10 days even without the President’s signature—unless he issues an official veto. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has indicated that Pres. Trump does not intend to veto the bill, meaning it will likely become law by next week. Still, the president is using this window to maximize pressure on lawmakers.

Conservatives shut down House 

This week, the focus was on the House floor. Speaker Johnson attempted a legislative maneuver to force the issue: he planned to have the House pass the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), attach the previously passed SAVE America Act to it, and send the combined package to the Senate.

The Speaker's strategy failed to appease a group of 13 conservatives who joined House Democrats in killing the rule to begin debate on the NDAA. The conservatives argued that Johnson's strategy wouldn't work and that Senate Leader John Thune (R-SD) would simply strip the SAVE America Act from the defense bill. Instead, they're advocating for inclusion of the SAVE America Act into the underlying text of the NDAA.

Senate continues to block SAVE America Act

Despite this week's House events, the true obstacle to passing the SAVE America Act falls on Senate Leader John Thune (R-SD). He’s refused to bring the bill to the Senate floor for a standalone vote, claiming he doesn't have the 60 votes required to clear a filibuster.

A coalition of groups, including the Immigration Accountability Project, has advocated for Leader Thune to use the talking filibuster, which would require Democrats to continuously hold the floor and speak to block a vote on the SAVE America Act. Thus far, he’s refused to implement that strategy or hold a procedural vote on the bill, so Americans can see which Senators support and oppose the bill.

Congress is now out until July 13th, and we don’t expect any new developments until then.

SCOTUS strikes down Trump's Birthright Citizenship executive order

As we told you on Tuesday, the Supreme Court struck down Pres. Trump's executive order that prevents the federal government from conferring U.S. citizenship to children born to illegal alien parents.

As IAP's Legal Analyst, Jared Culver, explained in his commentary on the ruling, all is not lost. Jared notes that the Supreme Court has been a defender of Pres. Trump's executive power, specifically upholding his use of 1182(f), which allows him to block the entry of a class of individuals. Pres. Trump can use that authority to block most admissions to the United States to ensure that no future children are born to illegal aliens or temporary visitors.

Congress can also take action by:

• Passing the PAUSE Act, which pauses most immigration to the United States until Congress takes steps to reduce future admissions;
• Passing the provisions of H.R. 2, the Secure the Border Act, from last Congress, which would end most illegal immigration by closing the loopholes exploited during previous border surges and mandating E-Verify; 
• Preventing illegal alien and nonimmigrant parents from benefiting from birthright citizenship by ending chain migration for parents of citizens, as the Nuclear Family Priority Act does; and
• Exercise its Article I constitutional authority "To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization" and define who is eligible for U.S. citizenship by passing the Birthright Citizenship Act.

Immigration Articles

First Things: Is Trump v. Barbara the New Roe?

Our friend Rachel Bovard from the Conservative Partnership Institute argues that the Supreme Court's 5–4 decision in Trump v. Barbara is a catastrophic judicial overreach akin to Roe v. Wade that must be aggressively countered by conservative legal activism and strict congressional immigration enforcement. 

The Federalist: The Supreme Court Doesn’t Have The Final Word On Birthplace Citizenship

Our friend John Eastman, one of the most prominent advocates for limiting birthright citizenship in the modern legal community, argues that the Supreme Court's recent ruling establishing a constitutional right to birthplace citizenship is not the final word, and that Congress should exercise its independent constitutional authority to challenge the decision by passing legislation restricting birthright citizenship for children of foreign citizens unlawfully in the country. 

Next Week

The House and Senate have both decided to stay out of town next week and won’t be back until July 13th.