Jefferson Reporter

U.S. Senators Katie Britt, Tommy Tuberville, and John Cornyn, along with 11 colleagues, have introduced the Visa Integrity Preservation Act. This legislation aims to close a loophole in current law that the Biden-Harris administration used to grant amnesty to illegal aliens who entered the United States without inspection or overstayed a visa.

"The Biden-Harris Administration’s unprecedented and blatant mass amnesty agenda and abuse of parole is wrong, irresponsible, and puts the safety and security of all Americans at risk. The Visa Integrity Preservation Act would prevent the Administration from abusing nonimmigrant visas as a tool to grant amnesty—pouring even more fuel on their catastrophic border crisis. I am committed to combating the mass migration policies of the Biden-Harris Administration, which have rewarded and incentivized millions of illegal border crossers to break our laws while devastating American families and communities," said Senator Britt.

"Horrible policies yield horrible results," said Senator Tuberville. "The Biden-Harris administration has shown time and time again that they have no respect for the rule of law. By turning U.S. law on its head to protect illegal aliens over U.S. citizens, the Biden administration is creating perverse incentives – causing the influx of people flooding into this country to get even worse. If Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won’t do their job and secure the border, hopefully, the Senate will."

"For almost four years, the Biden-Harris administration has waived their magic amnesty wand to create unlawful programs that allow any and every person to enter and stay in the U.S.—legally or not," said Senator Cornyn. "By strengthening the laws already on the books, our legislation would root out this massive pull factor while also preserving the integrity of our employment-based nonimmigrant visa program, and I’m grateful to my colleagues for their support."

The bill is cosponsored by Senators Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.).

Current U.S. immigration laws prohibit illegal aliens who overstay their visas from reentering for up to 10 years if they leave voluntarily; those who enter illegally are barred from reentry altogether once they depart. Temporary visa applicants must interview abroad at a U.S. consulate before receiving their visas.

In June 2024, an initiative by President Biden and Vice President Harris aimed at granting amnesty to over half a million illegal border crossers included waiving consular interview requirements for nonimmigrant visas. This move allowed individuals who had entered illegally or overstayed visas to obtain temporary work visas.

The Visa Integrity Preservation Act seeks amendments to clarify that those who have entered illegally or overstayed for more than 180 days are not eligible for waiver of in-person consular interviews under any circumstances.