The recent introduction of a bipartisan, bicameral bill in Congress would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to classify sexual assault and aggravated sexual violence as aggravated felonies, which are deportable offenses.
U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) Oct. 4 cosponsored the Better Enforcement of Grievous Offenses by Unnaturalized Emigrants (BE GONE) Act, H.R. 9920, alongside 11 Republican cosponsors. The bill is companion legislation to the same-named S. 5183, introduced Sept. 25 by U.S. Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA), Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY), and 18 other cosponsors.
“These violent criminals never would have entered America in the first place if we had real border security, but now that they’re in our communities, they need to be gone,” Ernst said. “My legislation will combat sexual violence by ensuring predators are identified, stopped, and deported.”
U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-IA), one of the cosponsors of H.R. 9920, cited data released last month to lawmakers by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) showing there are more than 660,000 illegal immigrants with criminal records residing in America, including nearly 16,000 with sexual assault convictions.
“These numbers are infuriating and are the result of the Biden-Harris administration’s dangerous, open-border policies,” said Feenstra on Tuesday. “I’m glad… to introduce legislation to deport illegal immigrants who have been convicted of sex crimes. It is just common sense to remove criminals from our communities so that we can keep our kids and families safe.”
Tom Homan, retired acting director of ICE; NumbersUSA Director of Federal Affairs Michael Hough; and Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, have endorsed the bill.