As the U.S. immigration system faces massive strains due the Biden Administration’s mishandling, U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a survivor of domestic violence and sexual assault, is calling for the deportation of those seeking to enter the U.S. who have been convicted of sexual violent crimes or sexual assault.
“Under the Biden Administration, our immigration system is strained to its limits, all by crises born out of their own mistakes. A key challenge and easy fix we must address immediately is ensuring sexual predators and criminals are identified, stopped, and deported,” said Senator Joni Ernst. “This measure is a commonsense solution to modernize the immigration system and combat sexual violence and those seeking to exploit our laws.”
Ernst is putting forward a measure – called the “BE GONE” Act, or the Better Enforcement of Grievous Offenses by un-Naturalized Emigrants Act – that would make “sexual assault and aggravated sexual violence” a disqualifying act for those seeking to immigrate to the U.S.—such as those given the temporary status of “humanitarian parole.”
The bill also gives law enforcement the ability to deport those who have been convicted of sexual violent crimes or sexual assault and who are trying to immigrate. Specifically, it would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 to include sexual assault and other forms of aggravated sexual violence as a disqualifying crime for foreign applicants for residence in the United States, and deportable for non-citizen resident immigrants.
Senator Ernst currently has 11 cosponsors on the bill, including Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).
