Despite Democratic lawmaker’s disapproval, the House passed a new bill on Thursday that would allow for the deportation of any illegal immigrants arrested for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Called the Protect Our Communities from DUIs Act, the bill, which was introduced by Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL), will ensure that those who are arrested and deported for intoxication or impairment will not be allowed to re-enter the country.
The bill passed by a vote of 274-150, with only 59 Democrats approving the bipartisan bill, meaning that the 150 Democrats who disapproved of the bill’s passing would rather keep irresponsible illegals in the country.
“This issue hits close to home for me,” Moore said. “There was a newlywed couple from my hometown of Enterprise, Alabama, named Angel and Jeremy Seay. I knew them personally. Angel and Jeremy were riding their motorcycle together when an illegal immigrant under the influence of alcohol collided into them with his pickup. Their lives were cut dramatically short. Sadly, tragedies like this are not uncommon across our country.”
According to Moore, the statistics show that someone in the U.S. is killed “every 45 minutes” by alcohol-impaired drivers.
Today, my bill to deport illegals who commit drunk or impaired driving offenses passed the House Judiciary Committee @JudiciaryGOP.
My legislation protects American families by ensuring illegals who commit these offenses are off our streets. pic.twitter.com/rfqz0zwiaj
— Rep. Barry Moore (@RepBarryMoore) January 18, 2024
A month ago, another illegal immigrant was involved in a car accident that killed a woman and her son due to him being under the influence of alcohol. Jose Guadalupe Menjivar-Alas, from El Salvadora, had been previously deported four times.
Moore stated that the bill would force President Joe Biden to deport illegal immigrants who are charged with driving impaired or intoxicated and ensure that they are not allowed to cause any more harm to Americans.
He also stated that the president has every resource available to shut down the southern border and accused Biden of making it political. The Biden administration claims that it needs more money to protect the border.
“Biden has every tool in the tool box to shut the southern border down… we don’t need more money, we need to apply the laws that are on the books,” said Moore.
The bill will now make its way to the Senate and if approved, will be signed into law by Biden.