Most Democrats in the House of Representatives voted against the Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act, banning migrants convicted of crimes including rape, stalking, spousal abuse, and child abuse from entering or remaining in the United States. Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus, denounced the Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) sponsored legislation as “another partisan bill that fearmongers about immigrants instead of working together to fix the immigration system.”
The bill passed with 215 Republicans and a minority of 51 Democrats voting in favor. However, over three times as many Democratic lawmakers—158—voted against. Whether it will survive the Democrat-controlled Senate is unclear.
“158 Left-wing members of Congress just voted against deporting rapists, pedophiles and murderers of women and kids,” Mace remarked on social media.
158 Left-wing members of Congress just voted against deporting rapists, pedophiles and murderers of women and kids. #HR7909
— Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) September 18, 2024
CLOSING LOOPHOLES.
Leading Democrats, including Rep. Jerrold “Jerry” Nadler (D-NY), tried to justify voting against the bill by claiming the Immigration and Nationality Act, which has not been updated for decades, already provides for migrants convicted of many domestic and sexual abuse offenses to be denied entry and made eligible for deportation. However, the bill’s supporters argue it closes several “loopholes,” and it is unclear why Democrats would try to vote down the bill merely for what Nadler describes as “redundancies.”
Democrats have previously blocked the Laken Riley Act, which would have required migrants suspected of crimes including burglary and theft, such as the suspect in Laken Riley’s murder, to be held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.