The US House of Representatives passed a bill that would allow for the immediate deportation of illegal immigrants convicted of driving under the influence (DUI). Titled the Jeremy and Angel Seay and Sergeant Brandon Mendoza Protect Our Communities from DUIs Act, the bill was introduced by Republican Congressman Barry Moore and passed with a 246-160 vote.
While no Republican voted against the measure, 160 Democrats opposed it. A handful of moderate Democrats, however, crossed party lines in support, including Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), the ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and Reps. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), Jared Golden (D-Maine), Laura Gillen (D-N.Y.), Don Davis (D-N.C.), and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.).
The bill, if passed by the Senate and signed into law by President Donald Trump, would make any non-citizen convicted of a DUI offense subject to immediate deportation, bypassing prolonged legal proceedings.
“Today’s vote in the House sends a clear message: if you are a guest in this country, and you break our laws and put American lives at risk by driving under the influence, there will be consequences,” Moore said after the vote.
The legislation is named in memory of Jeremy and Angel Seay, a couple killed by an undocumented immigrant driving under the influence, and Sergeant Brandon Mendoza, a police officer who was also fatally struck by an illegal immigrant with a prior DUI record.
Opponents of the bill, largely from the Democratic Party, criticized it as politically motivated and not rooted in data. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-Pa.) stated during House debate that the legislation lacks evidence linking immigration status with a higher incidence of drunk driving. “This bill does nothing to address our broken immigration system,” she added.
The bill now awaits consideration in the Senate. If enacted, it could significantly alter immigration enforcement protocols, particularly for those involved in DUI offenses, drawing both support and criticism over its scope and implications.