❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Protect Our Communities from DUIs Act seeks to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to make noncitizens convicted of or admitting to driving under the influence offenses deportable.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: The bill was introduced by Representative Barry Moore (R-AL) and has Senate sponsorship from Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), with support from multiple Republican senators.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Initially introduced in January, the bill passed the House in June and is now under Senate consideration.
💬KEY QUOTE: “A DUI could get green card holders deported, even from ten years ago! If it becomes law, anyone who is not a U.S. citizen—be they green card holders, international students, or H-1B workers—could become inadmissible [for citizenship] and deportable for having a DUI on record,” complained immigration attorney Joseph Tsang.
🎯IMPACT: The bill could affect green card holders, foreign students, and visa holders with past DUI records, potentially making them inadmissible for citizenship and deportable.
The Protect Our Communities from DUIs Act could revise the Immigration and Nationality Act to classify noncitizens, regardless of immigration status, as potentially deportable if they are convicted of or admit to driving under the influence (DUI)-related offenses. This provision would apply to illegal immigrants, lawful permanent residents, and green card holders.
Initially introduced in the House in January by Representative Barry Moore (R-AL) as H.R.6976, the legislation now awaits consideration in the Senate after passing the House in June. Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) introduced a companion version in the Senate, with backing from several Republican senators, including Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Katie Britt (R-AL), and Tom Cotton (R-AR). Its sponsors frame the bill as a public safety initiative to deter DUI offenses among noncitizens and enhance immigration enforcement.
Supporters argue the measure strengthens the standards of moral character required for U.S. citizenship. Immigration advocates disagree, with immigration attorney Joseph Tsang complaining, “A DUI could get green card holders deported, even from ten years ago! If it becomes law, anyone who is not a U.S. citizen—be they green card holders, international students, or H-1B workers—could become inadmissible and deportable for having a DUI on record.”
The proposed law would broaden the grounds for inadmissibility to include not only convictions but also admissions to DUI-related conduct. Additionally, it would apply regardless of whether the DUI is considered a misdemeanor or felony under state, federal, or local laws.
The legislation has received support from the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which cited U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) data showing more than 43,000 noncitizens were arrested on DUI charges between 2018 and 2023.
The new act comes amid a case of an Indian truck driver who killed three people in Florida this month when trying to make a U-turn on a busy highway. It was later revealed that the Indian was allowed to remain in the United States by the former Biden regime and was granted a commercial driving license by Governor Gavin Newsom‘s California government despite being an illegal alien.
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