WASHINGTON — Rep. Dave Taylor celebrated House passage Thursday of his bill aimed at deporting immigrants living in the country illegally who defraud the U.S. government or steal taxpayer-funded benefits.
The Ohio Republican’s legislation, H.R. 1958, the Deporting Fraudsters Act of 2026, passed by a vote of 231-186. It would make such fraud a deportable offense and permanently bar those who commit or admit to it from returning to the United States.
“It’s a no-brainer – if an illegal alien defrauds the United States or steals benefits from our nation’s most vulnerable, they should be permanently removed from our country,” Taylor said. “Ohioans work too hard to have their tax dollars and benefits stolen by illegal aliens who shouldn’t even be here in the first place. My Deporting Fraudsters Act will bolster the Trump Administration’s efforts to do just that, and today I’m proud to see it take one step closer toward becoming law.”
Taylor has made the issue a priority. He introduced the bill on March 6, 2025, shepherded it through the House Judiciary Committee on a 15-11 vote in January and delivered two floor speeches this week alone advocating for its passage.
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, supported Taylor’s effort.
“The number of illegal aliens committing fraud against Americans is ridiculous,” Jordan said. “Congressman Taylor’s Deporting Fraudsters Act will ensure that foreign nationals defrauding American taxpayers and the country’s immigration system are held accountable.”
A companion bill in the Senate was introduced by Sens. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Mike Lee, R-Utah. Cruz urged the Senate to follow the House’s lead, saying the bill would help stem abuse of benefit programs.
The bill has drawn broad support among House Republicans. Original cosponsors include Reps. Mike Kennedy, R-Utah; Claudia Tenney, R-New York; Nancy Mace, R-South Carolina; Derek Schmidt, R-Kansas; and several others. Additional cosponsors joined later.
Taylor’s legislation targets cases in which immigrants living in the country illegally falsify documents or steal identities to obtain public benefits such as SNAP or Medicaid. Federal officials estimate between $233 billion and $521 billion is lost annually to fraud in welfare and social service programs that cost over $1 trillion per year. Recent examples include major thefts reported in Minnesota, California and New York.
