Voted on House floor for amendment to end visa lottery in 2005

Rep. Boehlert voted in favor of the Goodlatte Amendment to H.R. 4437, the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005. The Goodlatte Amendment would eliminate the visa lottery. This is a program that each year gives another 50,000 green cards to people without any regard to their humanitarian need or to what they might offer the country or to their having any family connections in the United States. It is a program that promotes massive illegal migration by people who think they may some day win the lottery and be allowed to stay in the United States. The bi-partisan U.S. Commission on Immigration Reform under the leadership of the late Barbara Jordan recommended eliminating the visa lottery. The Goodlatte Amendment passed by a vote of 273 to 148.

Voted in 1996 to continue chain migration

Rep. Boehlert in 1996 voted for the Chrysler-Berman Amendment to H.R.2202. It was a vote in favor of a chain migration system that has been the primary cause of annual immigration levels snowballing from less than 300,000 in 1965 to around a million today. Rep. Boehlert supported provisions that allow immigrants to send for their adult relatives. Then each of those relatives can send for their and their spouse's adult relatives, creating a never-ending and ever-growing chain. The bi-partisan Barbara Jordan Commission recommended doing away with the adult-relative categories and chain migration (begun only in the 1950s) in order to lessen wage depression among lower-paid American workers. The House Judiciary Committee agreed with the Jordan Commission and passed H.R.2202, which would have effectively ended chain migration. But on the floor of the House, Rep. Boehlert helped kill the reform by voting for the Chrysler-Berman Amendment which stripped out the legal immigration reforms. Rep. Boehlert’s vote was important; the reformers were only 28 votes short of approving the end of chain migration. Rep. Boehlert helped continue a level of immigration that the Census Bureau projects will result in a doubled U.S. population in the next century. The Chrysler-Berman amendment passed the House by a vote of .

Voted on floor of House in favor of amendment to prohibit legal status to aliens with a criminal record in 2005

Rep. Boehlert voted in favor of the Stearns Amendment to H.R. 4437, the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005. The Stearns Amendment prohibits any alien from being granted legal immigration status of any kind until criminal record databases and terrorist watch lists are checked, and it is confirmed that no fraud has occurred. This amendment would subject each and every individual who seeks any sort of legal immigration status to a criminal background check and a review of terrorist watch lists to ensure that the United States only grants immigration status those who do not wish our citizens harm. The Stearns Amendment passed by a vote of 420 to 0.

Rejected immigration ceiling in 1990

Rep Boehlert voted AGAINST the Smith amendment to H.R.4300 that would have maintained hard caps on most categories of immigration. Unlike, Rep. Boehlert, 143 Representatives (of 435) feared that the 1990 legislation would unleash a chain reaction that would drive immigration numbers ever upwards. They backed an amendment that would have placed an absolute annual ceiling of 630,000 on family, worker and lottery immigration. But Rep. Boehlert helped defeat that ceiling 266 to 143.

Voted against amendment to prohibit immigration increases in Free Trade Agreements in 2005

Rep. Boehlert voted against the Tancredo Amendment to H.R. 2862, the Science, State, Justice, Commerce (SSJC), and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2006. The Tancredo Amendment would have prohibited the use of SSJC funds to include in any bilateral or multilateral trade agreement any provisions that would increase immigration. This effectively would have prevented the U.S. Trade Representative from including immigration increases in Free Trade Agreements (as occured with the Sinagpore and Chile Free Trade Agreements, for instance). The Tancredo Amendment failed by a vote of 106 to 322.

Voted against American workers by voting for worker-importation program in 2003

Rep. Boehlert voted for the Singapore Free Trade Agreement, H.R. 2739. The trade agreement would permit an unlimited number of Singaporeans to enter the U.S. each year as "treaty traders or investors" who are coming to the U.S. to carry on trade between the U.S. and Singapore or to "establish, develop, administer or provide advice or key technical services" to the operations of a business in which they have invested capital. Congress is prohibited from restricting the category with numerical limits, labor certification requirements or other protections for American workers. This category is in addition to the number of Singaporeans who are permitted to come to the U.S. each year under our normal immigration laws. Finally, the agreements also prohibit Congress from placing any numerical limits, labor certification requirements or other protections for American workers on the issuance of L-1 visas to nationals of Singapore. L-1 visas are available to "intra-company transferees," or aliens who have been employed abroad for at least one year in the three years preceding application by a business that has subsidiaries or affiliates in the United States. Such visas have been widely abused by businesses seeking to avoid the restrictions on H-1B visas. The Singapore Free Trade Agreement passed the House by a vote of 272-155.

Voted against American workers by voting in favor of worker-importation program in 2003

Rep. Boehlert voted in favor of the Chile Free Trade Agreement, H.R. 2738. The trade agreement would permit an unlimited number of workers in Chile to enter the U.S. each year as "treaty traders or investors" who are coming to the U.S. to carry on trade between the U.S. and Chile or to "establish, develop, administer or provide advice or key technical services" to the operations of a business in which they have invested capital. Congress is prohibited from restricting the category with numerical limits, labor certification requirements or other protections for American workers. This category is in addition to the number of Chileans who are permitted to come to the U.S. each year under our normal immigration laws. Finally, the agreements also prohibit Congress from placing any numerical limits, labor certification requirements or other protections for American workers on the issuance of L-1 visas to nationals of Chile. L-1 visas are available to "intra-company transferees," or aliens who have been employed abroad for at least one year in the three years preceding application by a business that has subsidiaries or affiliates in the United States. Such visas have been widely abused by businesses seeking to avoid the restrictions on H-1B visas. The Chile Free Trade Agreement passed the House by a vote of 270-156.

Nearly doubled H-1B foreign high-tech workers in 1998

Rep. Boehlert helped the House pass H.R.3736. Enacted into law, it increased by nearly 150,000 the number of foreign workers high-tech American companies could hire over the next three years. Although the foreign workers receive temporary visas for up to six years, most historically have found ways to stay permanently in this country. Rep. Boehlert voted for more foreign workers even though U.S. high tech workers over the age of 50 were suffering 17% unemployment and U.S. firms were laying off thousands of workers at the time.

Attempted to protect U.S. high-tech workers in 1998
Before the House passed the H-1B doubling bill (H.R.3736), Rep. Boehlert voted for a Watt Substitute bill that would have forbidden U.S. firms from using temporary foreign workers to replace Americans. It also would have required U.S. firms to check a box on a form attesting that they had first sought an American worker for the job. The substitute failed 177-242.

Stopped massive new foreign agriculture worker program in 1996

Rep. Boehlert voted AGAINST the Pombo Amendment to H.R.2202. He was part of a 242-180 majority that killed the amendment that would have created a massive new program. Agri-business would have been allowed to import up to 250,000 foreign farm workers each year for a period of service of less than a year. A bi-partisan congressional study with the Bush Administration (1989-93) had concluded that there were at least 190,000 farm workers already in America who were out of work at any given time. The federal commission said the oversupply of farmworkers was a major reason why farm workers’ real incomes had fallen by almost half over the previous two decades. The amendment had no provisions for ensuring that the temporary workers went home after their jobs were concluded. Rep. Boehlert’s vote was on the side of America’s farm workers and on the side of limiting illegal immigration.

Brought foreign nurses program to an end in 1996

Rep. Boehlert was part of a 262-154 majority that brought a foreign nurses guestworker program to an end. He voted AGAINST the Burr Amendment to H.R.2202. Those favoring the amendment said many rural areas had a shortage of nurses and needed the foreign workers. Rep. Boehlert was among those who contended that there are more than enough Americans trained in nursing to do the job if the pay and working conditions are appropriate.

Rep. Boehlert has taken no action to reduce
the rewarding of illegal immigration by giving citizenship
to anchor babies.

Inviting / Repelling Illegal Aliens top

Voted in favor of border fence in 2006

Rep. Boehlert voted in favor of H.R. 6061, the Secure Fence Act of 2006. H.R. 6061: requires the Department of Homeland Security to construct 700 miles of reinforced fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border; provides for the installation of additional physical barriers, roads, lighting, cameras, and sensors in five specified lengths (encompassing approximately 700 miles) along the United States’ southwestern border; requires DHS to study the necessity, feasibility, and economic impact of constructing a similar barrier along the U.S.-Canada border; enhances border infrastructure, including checkpoints, roads, and vehicle barriers; and requires DHS to achieve and maintain "operational control" of our borders within 18 months of enactment and require reports on the progress toward this goal. H.R. 6061 passed by a vote of 283-138-1 (1 denotes a vote of "present.")

Voted against sanctuary policies for illegal aliens in 2006

Rep. Boehlert voted in favor of the King Amendment to H.R. 5441, the fiscal year 2007 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations bill. The amendment would deny federal homeland security funding to state and local governments who refuse to share information with Federal immigration authorities. The King Amendment would be a huge incentive to rescind the policies that protect illegal aliens, criminal aliens, and, potentially, terrorists, by denying states and localities that enact them some Federal funding. Sanctuary policies bar public officials, including police officers, from asking an individual's immigration status and from reporting illegal aliens to federal authorities. In 1996, Congress passed a law that specifically prohibits state and local governments from enacting sanctuary policies. Despite that, cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston, still have sanctuary policies in place. Maine is the only state with a sanctuary policy. The amendment passed by a vote of 218 to 179.

Voted against amendment to end special amnesty for certain Central Americans in 2006

Rep. Boehlert voted against the Tancredo Amendment to H.R. 5541, the fiscal year 2007 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations bill. The Tancredo Amendment would prohibit funds appropriated by H.R. 5441 from being used to administer the continuation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for nationals of Guatemala, Honduras, or Nicaragua announced by DHS before the bill's enactment. Temporary Protected Status provides a temporary amnesty for certain illegal aliens from designated countries. The Tancredo Amendment failed by a vote of 134-284-1 (the "1" was a "present" vote).

Voted in favor of amendment to fund employment eligibility verification system in 2006

Rep. Boehlert voted in favor of the Marshall Amendment to H.R. 5441, the fiscal year 2007 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations bill. The Marshall Amendment would increase funding for USCIS' employment verification program by $20 million. This program , which is currently voluntary, allows employers to electronically check the eligibility of new employees to work in the United States. However, in December, 2005, the House passed H.R. 4437 which makes the program mandatory. The Marshall Amendment would fund this program. The Marshall Amendment passed by a vote of 358-63.

Voted on floor of the House for final passage of border security and enforcement bill in 2005

Rep. Boehlert voted in favor of H.R. 4437, the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005. H.R. 4437, as amended and passed, includes major improvements in interior enforcement and border security, as well as a reduction in legal immigration numbers. Among its most significant provisions are: a requirement that all businesses must use an electronic system to check if all new hires have the legal right to work in the country; additional security fencing along the Mexican border; a mandate that the federal government cooperate with local authorities in picking up all illegal aliens they detain; and elimination of the visa lottery program that each year awards 50,000 green cards to randomly selected winners. H.R. 4437 passed by a vote of 239 to 182.

Voted on the floor of the House against amendment to require implementation of entry-exit system in 2005

Rep. Boehlert voted against the Sullivan Amendment to H.R. 4437, the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005. The Sullivan Amendment requires full implementation of the automated entry-exit system that was instituted by Congress in 1996. As well, it requires the removal of unlawfully present aliens unless they fear persecution at home or are seeking asylum. It also reinforces the important role of state and local law enforcement in the fight against illegal immigration. The Sullivan Amendment failed by a vote of 163 to 251.

Voted on House floor against amendment to increase security with border fence in 2005

Rep. Boehlert voted against the Hunter Amendment to H.R. 4437, the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005. The Hunter Amendment would shore up security by building fences and other physical infrastructure to keep out illegal aliens. Specifically, it mandates the construction of specific security fencing, including lights and cameras, along the Southwest border for the purposes of gaining operational control of the border. As well, it includes a requirement for the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct a study on the use of physical barriers along the Northern border. The Hunter Amendment passed by a vote of 260-159.

Voted in favor of sanctuary policies for illegal aliens in 2005

Rep. Boehlert voted against H. Amdt. 288 to H.R. 2862, the the Science, Departments of State, Justice, and Commerce Appropriations, 2006 Act. The amendment, offered by Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) would deny federal funding to states and cities that are in violation of section 642(a) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996. This is the provision that specifically prohibits state and local governments from enacting sanctuary policies that bar public officials, including police officers, from asking an individual's immigration status to determine eligibility for public services and from reporting illegal aliens to federal authorities. Despite that, cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston, still have sanctuary policies in place. Maine is the only state with a sanctuary policy. The Tancredo Amendment would have created an incentive for states and cities to follow federal law prohibiting policies that protect illegal aliens, criminal aliens, and, potentially, terrorists. The amendment failed by a vote of 204 to 222.

	Voted against amendment to fund program to deny driver's licenses to illegal aliens in 2005
	Rep. Boehlert voted against the Obey amendment (H. Amdt. 144) to H.R. 2360, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill. The Obey amendment provided $100 million to fund grants under the REAL ID Act to assist States in conforming with minimum drivers’ license standards. The Obey amendment passed by a vote of 226-198.

Voted in favor of sanctuary policies for illegal aliens in 2005

Rep. Boehlert voted against an amendment (H. Admt. 138) to H.R. 2360, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2006. The amendment would deny federal homeland security funding to states and local governments who refuse to share information with Federal immigration authorities. The amendment, offered by Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO), would have created a huge incentive to rescind the policies that protect illegal aliens, criminal aliens, and, potentially, terrorists, by denying them some Federal funding. Sanctuary policies bar public officials, including police officers, from asking an individual's immigration status to determine eligibility for public services and from reporting illegal aliens to federal authorities. In 1996, Congress passed a law that specifically prohibits state and local governments from enacting sanctuary policies. Despite that, cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston, still have sanctuary policies in place. Maine is the only state with a sanctuary policy. The amendment failed by a vote of 165 to 285.

Voted in favor of amendment to increase State and local law enforcement's ability to enforce immigration laws in 2005

Rep. Boehlert voted in favor of the Norwood Amendment to H.R. 1817, the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations bill. The amendment, sponsored by Rep. Norwood (R-GA), clarifies the existing authority of State and local law enforcement personnel to assist in the apprehension and detention of illegal aliens. This amendment would not only help deter future illegal immigration, but gradually begin to reduce the current 10-12 million illegal alien population in the United States. The amendment passed by a vote of 242 to 185.

Voted to authorize the use of the military to assist in border control functions in 2005

Rep. Boehlert voted in favor of H. Amdt. 206 to H.R. 1815. The amendment authorizes the Secretary of Defense to assign members of the military, under certain circumstances, to assist the Bureau of Border Security and U.S. Customs Service of the Department of Homeland Security on preventing the entry of terrorists, drug traffickers, and illegal aliens into the United States The amendment, sponsored by Rep. Goode of Virginia, passed the House by a vote of 245-184.

Cosponsoring bill to create an amnesty for illegal agricultural workers in 2005-2006

Rep. Boehlert is a cosponsor of H.R. 884, the Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits, and Security Act of 2005. H.R. 884 is an amnesty for agricultural workers. Of the 1.2 million illegal aliens currently working in agriculture, an estimated 860,000 plus their spouses and children could qualify for this amnesty, so the total could reach three million or more. The potential recipients of the amnesty will be required to prove 100 days of agricultural employment in the 18-month period that ended Aug. 31, 2004. Then, prior to receiving amnesty, workers will have to show 360 days of additional farm work over the next six years. In addition to providing amnesty for illegal aliens, this bill would also provide amnesty for employers who hired illegal aliens. H.R 884 furthermore allows an illegal alien to gain legal representation at taxpayers’ expense through the Legal Services Foundation.

Voted in favor of bill to bar drivers' licenses for illegal aliens in 2005

Rep. Boehlert voted on the floor of the House in favor of H.R. 418, the REAL ID Act. This legislation would set federal standards for the issuance of drivers' licenses and require proof of "legal presence" in order to obtain a driver's license. This would make illegal aliens ineligible for drivers' licenses. As well, H.R. 418 would tie the driver's license expiration date of a temporary visa holder to the expiration date of their visa so that those who enter the country legally as visa holders, but become illegal aliens by overstaying their visas will not have a valid driver's license after the date of the expiration of their visa. In addition, H.R. 418 includes provisions to broaden the terrorism-related grounds for inadmissibility and deportability of aliens, and to complete construction of the San Diego border fence. H.R. 418 would deter illegal immigration by making it more difficult for illegal aliens to enter and to remain in the United States. It also would reduce significantly the risk that terrorists will be able to game our asylum system or avoid removal because of loopholes in our immigration laws. H.R. 418 was passed by the House of Representatives by a vote of 261-161.

Voted against amendment to strip asylum reforms from H.R. 418 in 2005

Rep. Boehlert voted against the Nadler Amendment to H.R. 418. The Nadler Amendment was an amendment to strike Section 101 of H.R. 418. Section 101 of H.R. 418 is the section includes reforms of our asylum laws to prevent terrorists from gaming our asylum system. Specifically, it includes provisions to ensure that our asylum system is consistent with our justice system in which the trier of fact is always allowed to use the credibility of the defendant and witnesses in deciding the case. Requiring an asylum claimant to bear the burden of proof is consistent both with our justice system and with international law, which says we must grant asylum to an alien who has been persecuted or has a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion (the five grounds agreed upon in the Geneva Convention). The Nadler Amendment failed by a vote of 185-236.

Voted in favor of the Rule that incorporated the Manager's Amendment to strengthen some of the key immigration reforms of H.R. 418 in 2005

Rep. Boehlert voted in favor of the rule that incorporated the Manager's Amendment to H.R. 418 (H. Res. 75). H.R. 418 was brought to the House floor for consideration under a rule that incorporated an amendment by the bill's sponsor, Chairman Sensenbrenner. Because the rule included the amendment, a vote for the rule did two things: 1) like any rule for consideration, it established the time limits for debate of the bill and permitted the debate to begin; and 2) it added the text of the Manager's Amendment to the original bill. The Manager's Amendment included the following changes to strengthen the provisions of H.R. 418: requires immigration judges to determine an alien's credibility before granting relief or protection from removal; limits deportable aliens' ability to stall their deportation by filing endless appeals in court; and strikes both the section of the bill that explicitly recognizes states' ability to issue "driving certificates" that do not comply with the standards, and the provision that permits the Department of Homeland Security to regulate such alternative licenses. The Manager's Amendment also included a provision to eliminate the cap of 10,000 per year on the number of asylees who may apply for adjustment to permanent resident status after residing in the U.S. for at least one year following the grant of asylum. However the rest of the provisions of the Manager's Amendment more than make up this provision, since asylees already are virtually assured permanent resident status eventually. The Manager's Amendment passed by a vote of 228-198.

Voted against rewarding illegal aliens from Mexico with Social Security benefits in 2004

Rep. Boehlert voted in favor of the Hayworth Amendment (H. AMDT 745) to H.R. 5006, the Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations bill. The amendment would have prohibited any funding in the bill from being used to pay Social Security Administration (SSA) employees to administer any benefits that would not be payable but for a totalization agreement with Mexico. The effect of this would be to prevent the U.S.-Mexico totalization agreement from taking effect -- at least during FY 2005 -- since SSA employees could not be paid for any work they do to determine or pay benefits under the agreement. The U.S.-Mexico totalization agreement would allow both legal AND illegal aliens working in the United States to qualify for Social Security benefits. The amendment failed by a vote of 178-225.

Voted against enforcing federal laws against sanctuary policies to protect illegal aliens in 2004

Rep. Boehlert voted against the King Amendment (H. AMDT 655) to the Commerce, Justice, State, Appropriations Act of 2005, H.R. 4754, that would have increased funding to the Justice Department for enforcing current federal law against sanctuary policies for illegal aliens. Sanctuary policies bar public officials, including police officers, from asking an individual's immigration status to determine eligibility for public services and from reporting illegal aliens to federal authorities. In 1996, Congress passed a law that specifically prohibits state and local governments from enacting sanctuary policies. Despite that, cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston, still have sanctuary policies in place. Maine is the only state with a sanctuary policy. The King Amendment would have allowed the Justice Department to more fully enforce federal law against policies that protect illegal aliens, criminal aliens, and, potentially, terrorists. The amendment failed by a vote of 139-278.

Voted to authorize the use of the military to assist in border control functions in 2004
Rep. Boehlert voted in favor of the Goode Amendment to H.R. 4200, to authorize the Secretary of Defense to assign members of the military, under certain circumstances, to assist the Department of Homeland Security in the performance of border control functions. The Goode Amendment passed the House by a vote of 231-191.

Voted to extend voluntary workplace verification pilot program in 2003

Rep. Boehlert voted in favor of H.R. 2359, the Basic Pilot Extension Act of 2003. H.R. 2359 would extend for five years the voluntary workplace employment eligibility authorization pilot programs created in 1996. This program is an important component of preventing illegal aliens from taking jobs from those who have the legal right to work in this country. H.R. 2359 passed the House Judiciary Committee by a vote of 18 to 8 before being brought up on the suspension calendar. Because it was brought up on the suspension calendar, no amendments were allowed to be offered to the bill and the bill needed a two-thirds majority in order to pass. Thus, even though a majority of Representatives voted in favor of H.R. 2359 (231-170), it failed because a two-thirds majority did not vote in favor of it. However, the Basic Pilot Extension Act eventually passed the Senate by Unanimous Consent as S. 1685. Then, the House passed by voice vote S. 1685 and it was signed by the President, becoming Public Law No. 108-156.

Voted in favor of amendment to fight foreign IDs for illegal aliens in 2003

Rep. Boehlert voted in favor of the Hostettler Amendment to H.R. 1950, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act. The Hostettler Amendment would have put some major restrictions on consular-issued ID cards that are frequently issued to illegal aliens by foreign governments. These cards make it easier for illegal aliens to gain government services and to otherwise profit from their illegal activity. The Hostettler Amendment passed by a vote of 226-198.

Voted to authorize the use of the military to assist in border control functions in 2003
Rep. Boehlert voted in favor of the Goode Amendment to H.R. 1588, to authorize members of the military, under certain circumstances, to assist the Department of Homeland Security in the performance of border control functions. The Goode Amendment passed the House by a vote of 250-179.

Voted to authorize the use of the military to assist in border control efforts in 2002

Rep. Boehlert voted in favor of H. Amdt. 479 to H.R. 4546, the Department of Defense Authorization bill. The amendment authorized the Secretary of Defense to assign members of the military, under certain circumstances, to assist the Bureau of Border Security and U.S. Customs Service of the Department of Homeland Security on preventing the entry of terrorists, drug traffickers, and illegal aliens into the United States The amendment, sponsored by Rep. Goode of Virginia, passed the House by a vote of 232-183.

Voted FOR Section 245(i), a form of amnesty for illegal aliens in 2002

Rep. Boehlert voted FOR H RES 365, which was brought up and passed in a new form in March of 2002. The vote in favor of the bill was a vote in favor of rewarding illegal aliens via a four-month reinstatement of Section 245(i). That is an expired immigration provision that allows illegal aliens with qualified relatives or employers in the U.S. to pay a $1,000 fine, to apply for a green card in this country, and to be allowed to stay in this country without fear of deportation until their turn arrives for a green card years, and even decades, later. The illegal aliens also would not have to go through the usual security screening in U.S. embassies in their home countries. The lowest estimate from supporters of the bill was that some 200,000 illegal aliens would benefit. H RES 365 included language that would implement some important visa-tracking regulations helpful to discouraging illegal immigration. But all of those provisions had already been passed previously in H.R. 3525, making the assistance to illegal aliens the sole purpose of the bill. Rep. Boehlert was one of 275 Representatives who voted in favor of the 245(i) amnesty. The bill narrowly passed by a vote of 275 to 137 (a two-thirds majority was needed in order to pass).

Voted in favor of a four-month extension of Section 245(i) in 2001

Rep. Boehlert voted on the floor of the House IN FAVOR OF a motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 1885, a four-month extension of Section 245(i), which is a de facto amnesty in that current federal policy did not deport illegal aliens once they applied for Section 245(i) and allowed them to remain in the U.S. for years until they were allowed to become official immigrants. The vote on the four-month extension represented a compromise of the White House push for a longer extension. Even though the four month extension was better than a year-long or permanent extension, it still would have resulted in at least 200,000 more people being added to the country through illegal immigration. Rep. Boehlert was part of a 336-43 majority voting in favor of the four-month extension of Section 245(i). It did not become law, though.

Cosponsored bill to create an amnesty for illegal agricultural workers in 2003-2004

Rep. Boehlert cosponsored H.R. 3142, the Agricultural Job Opportunity, Benefits, and Security Act of 2003. H.R. 3142 would have created an amnesty for certain agricultural workers. Of the 1.2 million illegal aliens then working in agriculture, an estimated 860,000 plus their spouses and children could have qualified for this amnesty, so the total could have reached three million or more. The potential recipients of the amnesty would have been required to prove 100 days of agricultural employment in the 18-month period that ended Aug. 31, 2003. Then, prior to receiving amnesty, workers would have had to show 360 days of additional farm work over the next six years.

Voted to authorize troops on the border in 2001.
Rep. Boehlert voted to enforce the border by voting for the Traficant amendment to HR 2586. This amendment authorized the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury, to request that members of the Armed Forces assist the INS with border control duties. The Traficant amendment passed by a vote of 242 to 173, but this measure was never considered by the Senate.

Voted in 2000 to authorize troops on the border.
Rep. Boehlert acted to enforce the border by voting for the Traficant amendment to H.R.4205. This amendment authorizes the Secretary of Defense, under certain circumstances, to assign members of the Armed Forces to assist the INS with border control duties. The Traficant amendment passed by a vote of 243 to 183, but the Clinton Administration never chose to exercise this power.

Voted to authorize the use of troops on the border in 1999
Rep. Boehlert voted in favor of the Traficant amendment to H.R. 1401. This amendment authorized the Secretary of Defense, under certain circumstances, to assign members of the Armed Forces to assist the Border Patrol and Customs Service only in drug interdiction and counter terrorism activities along our borders. The Traficant amendment passed by a vote of 242 to 181.

Voted AGAINST killing pro-illegal-alien Section 245(i) program in 1997

Given the chance to vote against a notorious pro-illegal immigration program called Section 245(i), Rep. Boehlert declined. The Section 245(i) program dealt with certain illegal aliens who were on lists that could qualify them eventually for legal residency. It provided them a loophole in which they could pay a fee and avoid a 1996 law’s provision that punishes illegal aliens by barring them for 10 years from entering the U.S. on a legal visa as a student, tourist, worker or immigrant. The controversial experimental program was supposed to “sunset” late in 1997 and be automatically taken off the books. But the Senate voted to permanently continue the pro-illegal immigration program by attaching it to an appropriations bill. House leaders, though, refused to include the program in the House appropriations bill. That meant the issue would be decided in a joint Senate/House Conference Committee. Representatives wanting to make sure that House Conferees fought the Senate stance, brought a “Motion to Instruct” to the floor. The motion -- if passed -- would make it clear that the House wanted the Conferees to kill the Section 245(i) program. Immigration lawyers lobbied the House vigorously to keep what to them was a lucrative program. Rep. Boehlert was part of a 268 to 153 House majority that refused to “instruct” the Conferees to kill the program. Despite the vote, House Conferees worked hard to kill the program and succeeded.

Voted to crack down on illegal immigration in 1996

Rep. Boehlert was part of a 333-87 majority which passed H.R.2202. It was a large omnibus bill with dozens of provisions aimed at reducing illegal immigration. It authorized major increases in the border patrol forces. But it also had many provisions aimed at making life more miserable for illegal aliens who manage to get into the country, half of whom arrive with legal visas but then illegally overstay. Until passage of the bill, a person could be apprehended as an illegal alien, be deported and then turn around and come back to the U.S. on a legal student, tourist, worker or relative visa. After the bill, an illegal alien was barred from any kind of legal entry for 10 years.

	Opposed mandatory workplace verification programs in 1996
	Rep. Boehlert voted AGAINST the Gallegly Amendment to H.R.2202. That amendment would have made pilot workplace verification programs (see above) mandatory in five of the top seven immigration states. The amendment failed 86-331 under complaints that businesses and states should have more choice in whether to participate in programs to keep illegal aliens from taking jobs.

Protected voluntary pilot programs for workplace verification in 1996

Rep. Boehlert voted AGAINST the Chabot Amendment to H.R.2202. His vote was one in favor of setting up voluntary pilot programs in high-immigration states that would assist employers in verifying whether people they had just hired had the legal right to work in this country. Such verification is considered by many experts to be an essential tool for withdrawing the job magnet from illegal aliens. The verification system established by H.R.2202 did not involve an ID card. Rather it provided that when new workers wrote down their Social Security number on an application, employers could phone into a national verification system to help assure that the number was a real number and belonged to the person giving it. In earlier smaller pilot programs, businesses had hailed the verification system for making it easier for them to avoid hiring illegal aliens. But a coalition of conservative pro-business Members and of liberal civil libertarians tried to kill the verification program as too intrusive into the private rights of businesses and workers. Opposing that coalition, Rep. Boehlert was part of a 260-159 majority that preserved the voluntary pilot programs.