FIRST ON FOX: A group of House Republicans are considering cracking down on some legal immigration pathways to the United States, citing “exploitation and abuse” of the system.
Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., a member of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, introduced a bill called the Nuclear Family Priority Act aimed at limiting the number of people who can obtain family-sponsored immigration visas. Critics call abuse of the family-sponsored system “chain migration.”
“Unrestrained chain migration has enabled the inexcusable exploitation and abuse of our immigration system. I am proud to introduce this bill that will help restore the rule of law, prevent our nation from being overburdened and will strengthen our national security,” Crane said. Fox News Digital.
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Rep. Eli Crane (R) is leading a conservative bill to limit family-sponsored migration to the United States. He is supported by several GOP hardliners, including Reps. Andy Ogles and Mary Miller (pictured in background). (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
“I am grateful to former Rep. Jody Hice for introducing this bill in the last Congress and to the cosponsors who joined me in introducing it to this Congress,” Crane said.
If passed, the bill would eliminate extended and non-nuclear family visa categories and limit eligibility for family-sponsored visas only to nuclear family members – typically consisting of only spouses and their children.
It would also reduce the base annual cap for new family-sponsored visas, which is currently 480,000, according to the National Immigration Forum.
Special circumstances would be considered for visa applicants wishing to care for their parents based in the United States.
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Crane's bill would remove “relatives” from the State Department's list of “immediate relatives” eligible for family-sponsored visas. (Celal Gunes / Anadolu Agency)
The bill is supported by GOP hardliners, including House Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good, R-Va., who is among its cosponsors. Others include Reps. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz.; Matt Rosendale, R-Mont.; Bill Posey, R-Fla.; Mary Miller, R-Illinois; and Andy Ogles, R-Tenn.
According to the Department of State, family immigrant visas are divided into two main categories: immediate relatives and family preferences.
Immediate relatives would be the spouses, children or parents of the person applying for the visa. The department's website states: “The number of immigrants in these categories is not limited for each fiscal year. »
Crane's bill would remove parents from that list, according to text obtained by Fox News Digital.
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Freedom Caucus Chairman Bob Good is among the bill's supporters.
Family preference refers to “specific, more distant family relationships with a U.S. citizen and certain specified relationships with a lawful permanent resident (LPR),” including parents, children, siblings, and spouses. Permanent residents are limited to spouses and unmarried children. Immigrant visas in this category are capped, according to the State Department.
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Critics of the system have argued that people who overstay their visas after arriving in the United States through a family member are helping fuel the current migrant crisis.
There are as many as 16.8 million illegal immigrants in the United States, according to the Federation for American Immigration Reform, a conservative-leaning think tank.