With the newly-Republican senate taking control in January, legislators are seeking to take steps to reverse the immigration reforms announced by President Barack Obama in November. Following the election, President Obama stated that he would be rolling out laws that would prevent nearly 5 million undocumented immigrants in the United States from being deported, remove those that have been convicted of serious crimes from the country, and strengthening the security at the border to prevent the influx of immigration.

What is included in this new bill?

The legislation that has been introduced in the House of Representatives is aimed at preventing this plan from moving forward. The bill provides a $400 million increase to the budget of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), so long as none of the money in the DHS budget goes towards funding any of the president's immigration actions. Since DHS runs out of funds at the end of February, the $39.7 billion dollars is sorely needed.

In addition, legislators seek to repeal the 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which allows some immigrants that were brought into the country as children to remain in the country as long as no restrictions apply. Money would be siphoned into the Secure Communities program instead, which checks the fingerprints collected by police with the Department of Homeland Security databases in order to spark deportation proceedings.

The bill is not expected to pass the Senate and President Obama has stated that he will veto any legislation that undoes any of his immigration actions. Considering the strong provisions related to the Department of Homeland Security and the dangers of leaving such an important government division unfunded, it seems as though the bill may need to be reworked if it faces the opposition it is expected to.

If you or a loved one is wondering how legislative actions being taken in Congress can affect you, use the directory to contact an immigration lawyer in your area. Speaking confidentially with an attorney can help you decide what actions to take to protect yourself from these decisions.