Senate Parliamentarian Nixes Immigration Fees, Expedited Removal of Illegal Aliens in Big Beautiful Bill
The Senate parliamentarian on Friday ruled that various immigration enforcement policies cannot be included in the Big Beautiful Bill.
Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough advised that many immigration enforcement and other provisions in the Big Beautiful Bill would require 60 votes to be included in it.
This includes:
- A mandatory minimum fee of $1,000 for anyone applying for asylum
- A mandatory minimum fee of $100 to request continuance in immigration court
- A mandatory minimum fee of $250 to apply for the diversity visa lottery, $400 to process diversity visa application
- A $5,000 bond for sponsors of unaccompanied alien children
- Language expanding expedited removal of criminal noncitizens
The parliamentarian did advise that a controversial provision that would tie a ten-year moratorium to state-based regulations on artificial intelligence to $500 million in increased funding for the Broadband, Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program could be included in the bill.
Senate Budget Committee Ranking Member Jeff Merkley (D-OR) said in a statement about the parliamentarian’s rulings:
We have been successful in removing parts of this bill that hurt families and workers, but the process is not over, and Democrats are continuing to make the case against every provision in this Big, Beautiful Betrayal of a bill that violates Senate rules. Republicans are actively attempting to rewrite major sections of this bill to advance their families lose, and billionaires win agenda, but Democrats are scrutinizing all changes to ensure the rules of reconciliation are enforced.
Merkley added, “We cannot let Republicans succeed in betraying middle-class families across this country.”
