Senate faces a long weekend debating SAVE America Act

Senate Majority Leader John Thune finally brought the SAVE America Act to the Senate floor this week, and he'll keep Senators in session all weekend, with floor votes on both Saturday and Sunday. It's all part of an effort to pressure Democrats to explain why they currently oppose a bill that 80 percent of Americans support.

The SAVE America Act, sponsored by Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT),  would require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote and valid photo ID at the voting booth. 

The Immigration Accountability Project has been centrally involved in trying to get the bill passed. We've monitored the Senate floor debate since Tuesday, and will continue to do so over the weekend, pushing back on all the lies and misinformation from Democratic Senators. (Join us @IAProject on X to follow along.) 

In addition, we've been working directly with Sen. Lee and his staff and helping to coordinate a coalition of groups working to get the bill passed by making sure public pressure is applied where it’s needed. Sen. Lee’s goal is to keep the SAVE America Act on the Senate floor until the bill can get to 60 votes. Passage is certainly not guaranteed, but it’s good to see Senate Republicans fighting to prevent noncitizens from voting in our elections!

Sen. Mullin nears confirmation as DHS Secretary

The Senate is also expected to vote in the next few days on the nomination of Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) to be the new Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It appears that Sen. Mullin will be confirmed largely along party lines, although Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) will be voting no, while Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) will be voting yes.

After Wednesday's confirmation hearing, I appeared on One America News to discuss Sen. Mullin's nomination and his testimony. You can view that clip here: https://x.com/iaproject/status/2034583033114742945.

DHS remains shut down

Senate Democrats continue to demand that several provisions that would essentially end immigration enforcement be added to the DHS spending bill before they will agree to it. The agency's shutdown has lasted for nearly a month. Senate Republicans have tried multiple times to pass DHS funding, but Democrats so far remain steadfastly opposed. Sen. Thune has threatened to cancel the upcoming two-week Easter recess if lawmakers can't reach an agreement to reopen the agency before the end of next week.

House Democrats improve Immigration Rankings after supporting enforcement legislation

Four Democrats -- Reps. Bill Keating (D-MA), Josh Riley (D-NY), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), and Steven Horsford (D-NV) -- improved their rankings this week, according to IAP Action's updated Congressional Immigration Rankings.

Reps. Keating and Horsford moved up 11 spots and six spots, respectively, after voting in favor of H.R. 1958, the Deporting Fraudsters Act of 2026. The bill was passed by the House on Wednesday, 231-186. H.R. 1958 would make any alien inadmissible and deportable if they defraud the U.S. government or unlawfully receive public benefits.

Reps. Riley and Suozzi moved up 10 spots and seven spots, respectively, after voting in favor of H.R. 4638, the BOWOW Act of 2025. The bill was passed by the House on Thursday, 228-190. H.R. 4638 would make any alien inadmissible or deportable if they harm animals used in law enforcement.

Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) had the biggest slide in this week's rankings, dropping seven spots after opposing both these bills.

You can view the full Congressional Immigration Rankings at IAPAction.com.

Immigration Articles

American Greatness: The Path to a Million: Why Mass Deportations are the Key to 2026

This op ed by IAP’s President is based on our poll results from last week.  Chris argues that the Trump Administration must fulfill its campaign promise of conducting at least one million deportations of illegal aliens in 2026 to satisfy its core voter base.

Wall Street Journal: Trump Told Inner Circle Some Mass Deportation Policies Went Too Far

It appears that President Trump’s inner circle wants him to back away from his promise to conduct “the largest deportation operation in American history.” The article has a quote from IAP about how important the deportation promise is to the base. It also mentions our new Mass Deportation Coalition.

Reuters: US judge temporarily blocks Trump from ending protections for 1,100 Somalis

In another example of the continued lawfare against the Trump Administration, a judge has blocked the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalis, despite the law clearly stating “[t]here is no judicial review of any determination of the Attorney General with respect to the designation, or termination or extension of a designation, of a foreign state under this subsection.” (8 USC 1254a(b)(5)(A))

New York Times: Supreme Court Defers Decision on Trump’s Bid to End Protections for Migrants

In a case that will likely impact other TPS cases, the Supreme Court has deferred a decision on the Trump Administration’s bid to end TPS for hundreds of thousands of Haitian and Syrian migrants, opting instead to hear formal oral arguments in late April.

Next Week

The House returns next week for its last work period before the Easter recess. As noted above, the Senate is staying in town to continue debate on the SAVE America Act, to negotiate funding for DHS, and to confirm the new DHS Secretary.