As President Donald Trump’s administration ramps up investigations into widespread welfare fraud concentrated in Democrat-run states, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) is moving to strengthen penalties for foreign nationals who steal taxpayer-funded benefits.
Cotton introduced legislation on Thursday that would impose mandatory minimum prison sentences for non-citizens convicted of welfare fraud.
The bill also authorizes automatic deportation for offenders.
It comes as federal investigators uncover large-scale schemes in Democrat-controlled states such as California and Minnesota.
Those probes have already resulted in dozens of charges against Somali migrants accused of defrauding taxpayer-funded programs.
“Migrants who steal Arkansas taxpayer dollars by committing fraud shouldn’t be let off with just a slap on the wrist,” Cotton said in a statement.
“My bill will ensure these criminals face harsher consequences.”
Mandatory Prison Time and Deportation
Cotton’s proposal, titled the Welfare Fraud Deterrence and Recovery Act, would impose a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in federal prison for non-citizens or naturalized citizens convicted of stealing federal welfare funds.
If the fraud exceeds $100,000, the minimum sentence would increase to five years.
The legislation also pairs criminal penalties with immigration enforcement.
Foreign nationals convicted of welfare fraud would be subject to expedited deportation, while those who are denaturalized would be permanently barred from reentering the United States.
The bill would also streamline the process for denaturalizing individuals convicted of fraud.
In addition, the legislation would create a Fraud Recovery Task Force jointly run by the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services to investigate and prosecute welfare fraud cases nationwide.
Trump Administration Freezes Funds Amid Investigations
Cotton’s bill follows decisive action by the Trump administration, which recently froze funding for multiple welfare programs in California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York amid concerns that benefits were being illegally diverted to non-citizens.
The paused programs include the Child Care Development Fund, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, and the Social Services Block Grant program.
Federal officials have said the funding freeze is part of a broader effort to ensure taxpayer dollars are not being siphoned off through fraud while blue-state governments fail to enforce eligibility requirements.
New DOJ Role Targets Minnesota Fraud
The administration has also moved to expand prosecutorial capacity.
Last week, Vice President JD Vance announced the creation of a new assistant attorney general position within the Department of Justice focused specifically on combating fraud, with an initial emphasis on Minnesota.
“To make sure that we prosecute the bad guys and do it as swiftly and efficiently as possible … we are creating a new assistant attorney general position who will have nationwide jurisdiction over the issue of fraud,” Vance said at a press briefing.
“Now, of course, that person’s efforts will start and focus primarily in Minnesota, but it is going to be a nationwide effort, because unfortunately, the American people have been defrauded in a very nationwide way,” he added.
Part of Trump’s Broader Accountability Agenda
Cotton’s legislation aligns with President Trump’s broader push to restore integrity to federal programs, protect taxpayers, and end the exploitation of welfare systems by foreign nationals, particularly in states where Democrat leadership has resisted enforcement.
The bill is expected to receive strong support from conservatives who argue that welfare fraud and lax immigration enforcement are inseparable problems that demand firm federal action.
READ MORE – Somali Leader Admits ‘Fraud Pipeline’ Funnels Stolen Taxpayer Money Out of America
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