United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) led his colleagues on Thursday in introducing the Protect Our Communities From DUIs Act,legislation to both prevent illegal immigrants who have committed DUI from entering the U.S. and to automatically deport illegal immigrants who commit DUI within the United States. Representative Barry Moore (R-AL-02) introduced companion legislation (H.R.6976) in the U.S. House of Representatives, which passed the House with the support of all Republicans and 59 Democrats.
President Joe Biden has drastically decreased deportations, even saying that he would fire ICE agents who deported criminal illegal aliens who have not committed felonies because, in his view, ICE agents should “only arrest for the purpose of dealing with a felony that’s been committed, and I do not count drunk driving as a felony.”
The legislation is co-sponsored by Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Katie Britt (R-AL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Deb Fisher (R-NE), James Lankford (R-OK), Mike Lee (R-UT), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Thom Tillis (R-NC).
“Our nation is seeing a surge in violent crimes committed by illegal immigrants, and they are not being held accountable,” said Senator Hagerty. “It is unconscionable that illegal immigrants that break our laws and endanger our communities are allowed to remain in the U.S. President Biden and Democrats’ willingness to pursue far-left immigration policies at the expense of Americans’ safety must end, and I’m pleased to introduce this commonsense legislation that would strengthen our ability to hold illegal immigrants accountable and protect our citizens.”
“President Biden’s open border policies have incentivized lawlessness and turned every state into a border state,” said Senator Blackburn. “This week alone, we have seen an uptick in avoidable violent crimes committed by illegal immigrants with prior records. This legislation by Senator Hagerty takes an important step toward restoring law and order by requiring the immediate deportation of illegal immigrants who endanger communities by driving under the influence.”
“Supporting law and order includes keeping dangerous individuals who harm our citizens out of our communities,” said Senator Budd. “No alien who drives under the influence of drugs or alcohol should be admitted to the U.S., and must be deported if that person is already in the U.S. That’s a commonsense step we can take to keep our communities safe.”
“The catastrophic policies put in place by President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas have allowed for illegal immigrants crossing our southern border to face virtually zero consequences for their actions, and in several cases, have resulted in the death of American citizens,” said Senator Capito. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing this legislation, which will hold individuals convicted of driving under the influence accountable.”
“Drunk drivers pose a danger to both themselves and everybody else on the road,” said Senator Cotton. “Illegal immigrants who are caught drunk driving should face no less than immediate deportation.”
“Driving under the influence is a serious danger to our communities no matter who is driving,” said Senator Cramer. “Illegal aliens have already committed a crime by being here. Our immigration laws need to be enforced, but at a minimum the public hazard of a DUI must be added to the list of inadmissible and deportable offenses.”
“Current law allows illegal immigrants to commit multiple DUI offenses before they can be deported—that’s insane,” said Senator Fisher. “The Protect Our Communities from DUIs Act would curtail the flawed policies that allow these criminals to evade justice.”
“Oklahomans have experienced first-hand the family consequences of an illegal alien who drives under the influence and kills one of our citizens, including an Oklahoma police officer last year,” said Senator Lankford. “Their lawlessness leaves a family and our state grieving over the tragic, avoidable loss of a loved one. Every person in our nation must respect our laws and ensure their behavior does not put others at greater risk to our nation and our families.”
“Our nation cannot afford to ignore the alarming reality: illegal immigrants are coming into our country and committing crimes,” said Senator Rubio. “Individuals who break our laws and endanger our communities should not be allowed to remain in the U.S.”
“President Biden’s disastrous border policies have resulted in criminal illegal immigrants settling into communities across the country,” said Senator Tillis. “This legislation ensures that any illegal immigrant convicted of a DUI is eligible for deportation and will not continue to put the lives of American citizens in danger.”Full text of the Protect Our Communities From DUIs Act (S.3833) can be found here.
