Rep. Nancy Mace is announcing new legislation Tuesday to expand the ability of the federal government to deport illegal immigrants with domestic violence or sex offense criminal records.
The legislation also explicitly bars migrants with domestic violence or sex offense convictions from being able to enter the U.S.
“By preventing illegals with a history of sex offenses or domestic violence from entering our country and swiftly deporting those who have committed such crimes, we’re taking concrete steps to ensure that women can live free from fear and harm,” Ms. Mace’s office said. “We will always prioritize the safety and well-being of women in our communities, which should be a common-sense imperative for us all.”
Joining Ms. Mace, South Carolina Republican, in sponsoring the bill are Reps. Andy Biggs, Arizona Republican, and Lauren Boebert, Colorado Republican.
Current law contains some language allowing domestic violence and sex offense convictions to be used as evidence justifying deportation or inadmissibility, which is the bar to entering the country in the first place.
Ms. Mace’s bill would write explicitly expansive language into the law, using the definition of domestic violence found in the Violence Against Women Act and the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act as the guiding principles.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, in a 2021 memo laying out guidelines for deportation, told agents and officers to consider cutting a break in deportation cases involving domestic violence culprits, saying the “broader public interest” was at stake.
“For example, a categorical determination that a domestic violence offense compels apprehension and removal could make victims of domestic violence more reluctant to report the offense conduct,” he wrote. He said determinations should be made on a case-by-case basis with a view to whether they pose “a current threat to public safety.”
But Mr. Mayorkas has said sex offenders remain a top priority.
“It is my view that individuals who commit sex offenses should be apprehended and removed,” he said in 2021.
Still, Homeland Security doesn’t always follow through on that.
In New York, a Jamaican man was on course to be deported over a criminal record that included several sex abuse charges, but was eventually released by Homeland Security. He would go on to be charged last year with raping a young teen.
In another case, a deportation officer with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said superiors shot down an arrest of a sex offender because the agency said it didn’t have enough bed space to hold the person for the weeks it might take to process them for deportation.
Ms. Mace’s bill comes as the issue of illegal immigrant crime is dominating headlines, and some voters’ minds, fueled by the high-profile slaying of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old student in Georgia, and several rape cases.
Some political analysts said the issue is even creating a new voting bloc — so-called “border moms” — who connect the immigration chaos under President Biden to fentanyl and other problems.
Source:Washington Times
