House Democrats overwhelmingly lined up Wednesday to oppose a Republican-backed bill aimed at kicking fraudsters out of the country.
Dubbed the “Deporting Fraudsters Act of 2026,” the legislation — spearheaded by Rep. Dave Taylor — takes direct aim at non-citizens who game the system, proposing deportation and a permanent ban on reentry for anyone caught defrauding the U.S. government or siphoning off taxpayer-funded benefits.
The bill cleared the House 231-186 — but here’s the kicker: just 20 Democrats broke ranks to support it. A staggering 186 voted no, while eight didn’t bother to cast a vote at all.
Taylor didn’t mince words in pushing the measure, calling it common sense.
“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.”
Republicans framed the issue in stark terms: protecting hardworking Americans from being treated like an open wallet.
House GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain delivered a blunt message:
“American taxpayers are not an ATM for criminal aliens. If you come to this country to scam our social safety nets and steal from hardworking families, you shouldn’t get a court date, you should get a one-way ticket out.”
She doubled down, adding:
“This bill makes it crystal clear: defraud the American people, and you’re gone. House Republicans are putting an end to the fraud, the abuse, and the war on taxpayers.”
Democrats, however, pushed back — arguing the bill is unnecessary and potentially dangerous.
Rep. Jamie Raskin dismissed the proposal as legislative déjà vu.
“Another week, another redundant and completely unnecessary immigration crime bill.”
He also warned the measure could undermine legal protections, claiming it sidesteps due process for immigrants accused of fraud.
“By bypassing the conviction requirement, this legislation would hand a liberal get-out-of-jail free card to immigrants who commit fraud by deporting them without going through the criminal justice system and giving their victims a day in court.”
Republicans weren’t buying it. They argue that entering the country illegally is already a crime — and exploiting taxpayer-funded programs only adds insult to injury. Meanwhile, the vote comes as federal authorities ramp up investigations into large-scale fraud schemes, including explosive allegations out of Minnesota.
Attorney General Pam Bondi revealed earlier this year that the Justice Department is sending reinforcements to crack down on what she described as widespread abuse.
“The Department of Justice is dispatching a team of prosecutors to Minnesota to reinforce our U.S. Attorney’s Office and put the perpetrators of this widespread fraud behind bars.”
Fueling outrage are findings from investigative journalist Nick Shirley, who says he uncovered a sprawling web of bogus operations in Minneapolis. After visiting dozens of supposed daycare centers, Shirley reported that many simply didn’t exist. Instead, he described shell nonprofits allegedly set up to vacuum up federal dollars — with funds ultimately flowing into local networks and even overseas.
Further reporting from City Journal painted a troubling picture of money transfers abroad.
“The Somali fraud rings have sent huge sums in remittances, or money transfers, from Minnesota to Somalia.”
The scale is eye-popping:
“[A]n estimated 40 percent of households in Somalia get remittances from abroad. In 2023 alone, the Somali diaspora sent back $1.7 billion—more than the Somali government’s budget for that year.”
Even more alarming, according to sources cited in that reporting, is where some of that money may be ending up. One former Joint Terrorism Task Force official didn’t sugarcoat it:
“every cent that is sent back to Somalia benefits Al-Shabaab in some way.”
