Sen. Graham Introduces Immigration Bill to Fix Legal Loopholes

Legislation being introduced into the Senate is aimed to close the legal loopholes that allow hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants to enter and stay in the United States without a valid asylum claim.

Sen. Lindsey Graham’s (R-S.C.) bill, titled “Secure and Protect Act of 2019,” outlines four main fixes. The first is that asylum must be claimed in either the individual’s home country or in Mexico. That will prevent illegal immigrants from gaining access to the United States unless their claim is approved.

Under the current system, if an adult brings a child illegally into the United States and claims asylum, there is a 98 percent chance they will stay indefinitely. In some areas, where the Border Patrol is overwhelmed, fewer than 10 percent of illegal aliens claim asylum, but are still released after 48 to 72 hours.

The bill also provides a fix to the Flores Settlement Agreement, which was expanded by a judge in 2015 and has, in part, contributed to the surge in family units since then. In 2015, U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee of the Central District of California said no minor can be held in detention longer than 20 days. Previously, that rule only applied to unaccompanied minors, not those who were part of family units. The result is that families are released within a few days.

‘Every Dollar Possible’: Trump Admin Cracks Down on States That Put Illegal Drivers on the Road

Former Teacher of the Year Arrested on Cruelty to Children Charges

SEE IT: Feeding Our Future fraudsters bought mansions and Mercedes with $250M in stolen meal funds

Progressive powerhouses launch primary war against Democratic establishment ahead of 2026 elections

Good News for Charlie Kirk’s Family: Legal Expert Says Evidence Against Robinson Is ‘Strongest’ He’s Ever Seen

38-Year-Old Able-Bodied Man Irate After Losing Food Stamps Under Trump

After Australia passes social media ban lawmakers probed on why Congress hasn’t done more to protect kids

DHS to focus on arresting illegal immigrants with serious offenses amid negative polling on ICE raids: report

Justice Department sues Fulton County to obtain records related to 2020 election

Georgia woman hospitalized after attacker hurls corrosive chemical during evening walk

EXCLUSIVE: Inside Trump’s private schedule as media fixates on his health

Obese man on death row chooses buffet of BBQ, wings, cheeseburger, pizza, ice cream for last meal in Georgia

Florida influencer, 41, accused of inappropriately touching, exposing herself to teenage son’s friend

Republican House leader signals plan to begin contempt proceedings against Bill and Hillary Clinton

Watch: Tim Walz Tries to Make Somali Fraud Scandal Seem Perfectly Normal, Blames Trump for Talking About It

Former Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen estimated that 1 million illegal immigrants will be apprehended this fiscal year. The largest increase of illegal border crossers are family units. More than half of the 460,000 Border Patrol apprehensions so far this fiscal year are individuals within family units—a 400 percent increase over the same time period in fiscal 2018.

Graham’s bill would increase the time in detention to 100 days, which would allow for the adjudication of an asylum case, and a quick deportation if status is not granted.

“I’m trying to turn the faucet off. These loopholes are creating a humanitarian crisis,” Graham said in a press conference on May 15. “If we do nothing, what’s it going to look like next year?”

In conjunction, Graham wants an additional 500 immigration judges hired to help adjudicate the cases and clear the almost 900,000-case backlog that exits.