Press Releases

Earlier today, Congressman Pat Fallon (TX-04) introduced the Abolishing the Lottery & Immigration Enforcement Now (ALIEN) Act. This legislation takes concrete steps to address shortcomings in our immigration system. 

This bill works towards this goal by doing the following:

1.    terminating the visa lottery system formally known as the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program;

2.    eliminating abuse of the asylum process by removing the social grouping loophole; and

3.    establishing penalties for individuals that overstay their visa - including but not limited to:

·         a fine of up to $1,000 each day that they remain in the U.S. or face a jail sentence of up to a year;

·         a 5-year ban on legal re-entry, a 10-year ban on removal relief;

·         a 15-year ban on applying for legal permanent residence (green card); and lastly,

·         it would establish a two-strike rule which permanently bars individuals from applying for re-entry to the United States if they are caught overstaying a visa twice. 

Rep. Fallon was joined in the introduction of this legislation by Reps. Ronny Jackson (TX-13), Jake Ellzey (TX-6), Ted Budd (NC-13), Dan Bishop (NC-9), Scott DesJarlais (TN-4), Clay Higgins (LA-3), Bill Posey (FL-8), and Paul Gosar (AZ-4).

This legislation is supported by the following outside groups:

·         Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR)

·         NumbersUSA

Congressman Fallon issued the following statement: 

“The mess at our southern border is the largest migration crisis our nation has ever seen. Right now, the enforcement of our immigration laws is not necessarily the root cause of this crisis - it is the laws themselves. This Administration is choosing to disregard any policies that would prove successful and instead, are allowing millions of migrants to flow into our country. 

It's time for substantiative change. We need to close loopholes and eliminate drivers of illegal immigration. It starts by building a merit-based immigration system, by strengthening visa overstay penalties, and by eliminating the fraud in our asylum program. This legislation is an important first step in the right direction. I am proud to have my colleagues join me in this fight.”

Dan Stein, President of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) added:

"It is always encouraging to see lawmakers take important steps toward getting our broken immigration system under control. Congressman Pat Fallon’s unique approach addresses three different issue areas: a deeply-flawed legal immigration program, the most overlooked method of illegal entry, and humanitarian loopholes that drive the border crisis. 

Specifically, the ALIEN Act reforms these distinct but interconnected issues by eliminating the unnecessary visa lottery, cracking down on visa overstays, and by making desperately needed changes to our asylum process. It is yet another shovel-ready solution to address an unprecedented crisis that those across the aisle on Capitol Hill continue to ignore. Will Speaker Pelosi finally step up to the plate? 

FAIR is thrilled to support the ALIEN Act and we applaud Congressman Fallon’s leadership on the immigration issue."

Mark Morgan, Former Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)added the following:

“Rep. Pat Fallon's ALIEN Act could not come at a better time. Our southern border is at a breaking point. The Biden administration inherited the most secure border in history. After one year, President Biden has overseen the full-scale abandonment of immigration enforcement. The importance of strong legislative proposals has never been greater. 

The ALIEN Act takes a novel approach to reducing illegal immigration by addressing the root cause of the problem: our asylum laws. By raising the credible fear threshold, the ALIEN Act will reduce the ability of illegal aliens to make frivolous asylum claims. We must get control of our border back from the cartels and human traffickers, and the ALIEN Act will help do that. 

I support Rep. Fallon's legislation and urge all members of Congress to co-sponsor this important effort.” 

Rosemary Jenks, Director of Government Relations at NumbersUSA said:

"NumbersUSA applauds Rep. Fallon bringing attention to a host of areas in need of reform in immigration law. In ending the visa lottery, addressing the increasing problem of visa overstays, fixing a significant area of abuse in the asylum system, and striking excessive waivers that allow this Administration to bring in otherwise inadmissible aliens, the ALIEN Act of 2022 represents an effort to bring rationality and integrity to an increasingly irrational legal immigration system."