Several Georgia Republican congressmen have signed onto stringent new immigration enforcement legislation, even as the Senate is poised to vote on a bill that would provide a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants.
U.S. Reps. Doug Collins, Lynn Westmoreland and Rob Woodall are among 17 House Republicans cosponsoring HR 2278, also known as the Strengthen and Fortify Enforcement Act.
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., and Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., introduced the bill Thursday.
According to a summary of the legislation released by Goodlatte’s office, the bill would:
• Grant states and localities authority to help enforce federal immigration laws. It would also allow them to enact their own immigration statutes so long as they are consistent with federal laws.
• Bar illegal immigrants who threaten national security from becoming naturalized U.S. citizens.
• Expedite the deportations of criminal illegal immigrants.
• Authorize the Homeland Security Department and State Department to revoke visas issued to foreign nationals for security and foreign policy reasons.
• Authorize U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to carry firearms. Also provides them with body armor.
• Prohibit the Interior and Agriculture departments from preventing border patrol agents from accessing federal lands within 100 miles of the border.
The new legislation is part of a House Republican strategy to overhaul the nation’s immigration system piece by piece. Goodlatte and other House Republicans have introduced several other immigration bills.
In contrast, Senate Bill 744 is sweeping legislation that would create a 13-year path to citizenship for the estimated 11 million immigrants now living illegally in the U.S. It also is aimed at tightening border security, unclogging the nation’s legal immigration system and allowing U.S. employers to hire more foreign workers. That bill could come to the Senate floor for a vote as soon as next week.
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