Austin News

U.S. Senators Ted Cruz, John Cornyn, and Thom Tillis have introduced the Visa Integrity Preservation Act in an effort to close what they see as a loophole in current immigration law. This move comes in response to actions taken by the Biden-Harris administration, which have allowed illegal immigrants who entered the U.S. without inspection or overstayed their visas to receive amnesty.

Senator Cruz criticized the administration's approach, stating, “The Biden-Harris administration has failed to secure our southern border and politically exploits the crisis they’ve created. What they call their ‘keep families together’ agenda is being used as a loophole to allow illegal immigrants to bypass our legal immigration process, granting amnesty to 500,000 illegal aliens."

The legislation was co-sponsored by Republican Senators Jim Risch, Mike Crapo, Ted Budd, Dan Sullivan, Steve Daines, Katie Britt, Bill Hagerty, Pete Ricketts, James Lankford, Tommy Tuberville, and Marsha Blackburn.

According to existing laws in the United States, individuals who overstay their visas are prohibited from reentering for up to ten years if they leave voluntarily. Those who enter illegally cannot reenter at all. The law also mandates that visa applicants undergo interviews at U.S. consulates abroad before receiving their visas unless waived on a case-by-case basis for national interest or emergencies.

In June 2024, President Biden and Vice President Harris announced a new initiative granting amnesty to over half a million illegal immigrants. This included waiving consular interview requirements for nonimmigrant visas for spouses of American citizens and others who have entered illegally or overstayed visas.

The proposed Visa Integrity Preservation Act seeks amendments that would require those affected by these conditions—those entering illegally or overstaying more than 180 days—to depart the U.S. for mandatory interviews before obtaining nonimmigrant visas.