Texas Border Business
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Ted Budd (R-NC), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), John Kennedy (R-LA), Eric Schmitt (R-MO), James Lankford (R-OK), and Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) introduced the Stop Illegal Aliens Drunk Driving Act, which would strengthen current immigration laws to ensure aliens who drive drunk and kill or seriously maim someone can be arrested, detained, and removed from the United States as aggravated felons and also permanently bar them from obtaining an immigration status like asylum or holding a Green Card:
“Zero mercy should be shown to illegal aliens who not only defy our laws by unlawfully entering the country but also take it a step further to drive drunk, threatening American lives,” said Sen. Cornyn. “By strengthening current immigration law to hold these offenders accountable, our bill sends a clear message: If you enter the country illegally and harm innocent citizens, we will find you, we will punish you, and we will make sure you never step foot on American soil again.”
“We can’t have a fair, orderly, and humane immigration system without clear rules that prevent dangerous criminals from remaining in our country. Drunk driving that results in severe injury or death is a serious and dangerous crime. Individuals who put lives at risk and endanger our communities should be held accountable,” said Sen. Gallego.
“This legislation closes a legal loophole that has prevented and would continue to prevent law enforcement from protecting Americans,” said Sen. Cruz. “It will directly contribute to making our communities safer, and I urge my colleagues to advance it without delay.”
“Illegal immigrants who drink and drive put innocent American lives at risk and should face serious consequences, including deportation,” said Sen. Tillis. “This legislation strengthens our laws to close dangerous loopholes and ensure those who commit serious criminal offenses are swiftly removed from our country.”
“The Trump administration is sending a clear signal to all criminal illegal aliens: you are not welcome in the United States,” said Sen. Lummis. “Too many American lives have been taken because illegal immigrants who should never have been in our country were driving under the influence on our roads. I am proud to support Senator John Cornyn’s legislation that puts public safety first, ends the cycle of excuses for criminal behavior, and ensures that illegal immigrants convicted of DUI are removed.”
“It’s bad enough to commit a crime by crossing our border illegally—but it’s beyond inexcusable for illegal immigrants to put innocent people in harm’s way by driving under the influence. We’ve seen far too many American lives cut short by drunk drivers who shouldn’t even be in our country, and we ought to use every tool in our arsenal to make sure these tragedies never happen again. The Stop Illegal Aliens Drunk Driving Act will ensure illegal immigrants who hurt or kill people by driving under the influence are met with the full force of the law, and I’m proud to help introduce it,” said Sen. Kennedy.
“Driving under the influence and entering the United States illegally are both crimes that pose serious danger to the lives and livelihoods of American citizens. Any illegal who is caught driving drunk is doing both and should be immediately deported and never allowed to re-enter the United States. Our immigration and transportation laws must be enforced,” said Sen. Schmitt.
“People who are not legally present in this country should be removed, especially if they have been convicted of driving under the influence. Federal law should be clear that no illegal alien should ever have a second DUI conviction,” said Sen. Lankford.
“This common-sense measure is long overdue. Too many lives have been lost to reckless, drunk and impaired drivers. We certainly shouldn’t add to that tragic number by allowing illegal aliens to have a pass for endangering drivers on American roads,” said Sen. Mullin. “Illegal aliens convicted of driving drunk and harming our citizens have no place in this country. In fact, these criminals should move to the very FRONT of the deportation line and be on the first flight home. Full stop.”
Background:
For decades, illegal alien drunk drivers have taken innocent American lives on our roadways. While current law requires such aliens be removed from the United States if convicted of driving under the influence (DUI) or driving while intoxicated or impaired (DWI), there are many cases of the criminal illegal aliens reentering the interior and committing additional DUI and DWI crimes.
The Stop Illegal Aliens Drunk Driving Act would help put a stop to this crisis and hold criminal illegal aliens accountable by making make DWIs and DUIs that result in death or serious bodily injury of another individual an aggravated felony under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), thus allowing the criminal alien offenders to be deported and precluding them from getting immigration status, including asylum and Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status.
