[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 9 (Thursday, January 16, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H191-H202]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PREVENTING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN BY ILLEGAL ALIENS ACT
Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 5, I
call up the bill (H.R. 30) to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act
to provide that aliens who have been convicted of or who have committed
sex offenses or domestic violence are inadmissible and deportable, and
ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Wied). Pursuant to House Resolution 5,
the bill is considered read.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 30
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Preventing Violence Against
Women by Illegal Aliens Act''.
SEC. 2. INADMISSIBILITY AND DEPORTABILITY RELATED TO SEX
OFFENSES, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, STALKING, CHILD
ABUSE, OR VIOLATION OF PROTECTION ORDER.
(a) Inadmissibility.--Section 212(a)(2) of the Immigration
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1182(a)(2)) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
``(J) Sex offenses.--Any alien who has been convicted of,
who admits having committed, or who admits committing acts
which constitute the essential elements of a sex offense (as
such term is defined in section 111(5) of the Adam Walsh
Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (34 U.S.C.
20911(5))), or a conspiracy to commit such an offense, is
inadmissible.
``(K) Domestic violence, stalking, child abuse, or
violation of protection order.--Any alien who has been
convicted of, who admits having committed, or who admits
committing acts which constitute the essential elements of--
``(i) a crime of domestic violence (as such term is defined
in section 237(a)(2)(E));
``(ii) a crime of stalking;
``(iii) a crime of child abuse, child neglect, or child
abandonment; or
``(iv) a crime of violating the portion of a protection
order (as such term is defined in section 237(a)(2)(E)) that
involves protection against credible threats of violence,
repeated harassment, or bodily injury to the person or
persons for whom the protection order was issued,
is inadmissible.''.
(b) Deportability.--Section 237(a)(2) of the Immigration
and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1227(a)(2)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (E)--
(A) in the heading, by striking ``crimes against children
and'' and inserting ``and crimes against children''; and
(B) in clause (i), by inserting before the period at the
end the following ``, and includes any crime that constitutes
domestic violence, as such term is defined in section
40002(a) of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act
of 1994 (34 U.S.C. 12291(a)), regardless of whether the
jurisdiction receives grant funding under that Act''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(G) Sex offenses.--Any alien who has been convicted of a
sex offense (as such term is defined in section 111(5) of the
Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (34 U.S.C.
20911(5))) or a conspiracy to commit such an offense, is
deportable.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The bill shall be debatable for 1 hour,
equally divided and controlled by the majority leader and the minority
leader or their respective designees.
The gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Lee) and the gentleman from
Maryland (Mr. Raskin) each will control 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Lee).
General Leave
Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their
remarks and insert extraneous material on H.R. 30.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Florida?
There was no objection.
Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 30, the Preventing Violence
Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act.
Over the past 4 years, President Biden and border czar Vice President
Kamala Harris have allowed millions of unvetted illegal aliens into the
United States. At the same time that they facilitated the collapse of
our southwest border, President Biden and Vice President Harris
abandoned any semblance of interior immigration enforcement.
In a September 2021 memo, the Biden-Harris administration made
enforcement more difficult for Immigration and Customs Enforcement
officers. In training materials obtained by the Judiciary Committee and
published in a staff report last year, DHS failed to answer seemingly
clear-cut questions such as whether an alien who served a
[[Page H192]]
20-year drug-related prison sentence or an alien who discharged a
firearm outside of a police station should be priorities for arrest and
deportation.
Until the Trump administration can change them, those are the
training materials required for all of ICE's enforcement personnel
nationwide. Instead of making clear that ICE officers should carry out
their duties to remove criminal aliens from American streets, the
Biden-Harris administration instructed ICE officers to develop a full
profile of a criminal alien before deciding whether to arrest someone
who is in the country illegally.
In the training examples, that included determining whether an
illegal alien has high blood pressure or is a caregiver. The Biden-
Harris administration's immigration absurdity appears to know no
bounds.
In a transcribed interview with the Judiciary Committee, a former top
ICE official admitted that the Biden-Harris administration's policies
have made immigration enforcement more dangerous for ICE officers, more
difficult to carry out, and less efficient overall.
The ICE official even acknowledged that because of the border crisis,
fewer ICE officers are available to track down public safety and
national security threats because they are left to do border
administration-related tasks.
The consequences of these policies are not hypotheticals or simply
numbers. They are a reality for families across the country, and they
are emblematic of the Biden-Harris administration's war on women.
Last September, the Judiciary Committee heard from three mothers
whose daughters were brutally assaulted and murdered by illegal aliens
welcomed into the country by President Biden and Vice President Kamala
Harris.
Tammy Nobles recounted how Joe Biden and Kamala Harris released into
the country the MS-13 gang member who went on to murder and sexually
assault her daughter, Kayla Hamilton. The killer later admitted to four
additional murders and two additional rapes.
Patty Morin told how an illegal alien raped and strangled her
daughter, Rachel, and then stuffed her body into a drainpipe. The
alleged murderer entered the country through border czar Kamala Harris'
wide-open southwest border.
Alexis Nungaray spoke about how Joe Biden and Kamala Harris released
at the border the two illegal aliens who went on to viciously assault
and murder her 12-year-old daughter, Jocelyn. Ms. Nungaray said she had
no clothing from the waist down. Her hands and her ankles were tied,
and she was thrown under the bridge in the water like she was nothing
but garbage.
Victim advocate April Aguirre also told the tragic story of 11-year-
old Maria Gonzalez. The Biden-Harris administration released her
alleged murderer into the United States. Just 7 months later, the
illegal alien assaulted and killed Maria, wrapped her body in a trash
bag, and stuffed her in a laundry basket that he shoved underneath his
bed.
These are not isolated incidents. In February 2024, an illegal alien
was arrested in Alabama for allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl who
could not consent to the intercourse, as she was physically helpless or
mentally incapacitated.
In April 2024, an illegal alien was arrested in Indiana for allegedly
breaking into a Michigan mobile home park and sexually assaulting two
young girls.
In May 2024, authorities arrested a 20-year-old illegal alien for
allegedly snatching an 11-year-old girl off the street in front of her
Lake Worth, Florida, home and sexually assaulting her. According to
local officials, the Guatemalan national crossed the U.S.-Mexico border
in early January 2024, made his way to Florida shortly thereafter, and
does not have an immigration court date until 2027.
Just earlier this month, ICE arrested a Dominican national who had
been charged with assault to rape, kidnapping, and indecent assault.
The illegal alien crossed the border in January 2023 and was placed on
alternatives to detention.
That is Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' immigration legacy: more
unvetted aliens released into American communities, more criminal
aliens on American streets, and more Americans endangered by radical,
reckless policies. Thankfully, the American people have voted to end
this nightmare.
The Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act is just
one of many bills Republicans have proposed that will help close
immigration loopholes, reverse the disastrous policies of the Biden-
Harris administration, and implement President Trump's immigration
enforcement agenda.
The Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act makes
crystal clear that illegal aliens who commit sex offenses are
inadmissible to and removable from the United States. The bill also
fixes a discrepancy in current law by creating a ground of
inadmissibility for domestic violence to mirror the existing ground of
removability for the same offenses.
In addition, H.R. 30 expands the current ground of removability for
domestic violence by cross-referencing an existing statutory definition
for sex offenses. Although many aliens can already be found
inadmissible to or removable from the United States for certain sex
offenses and domestic violence offenses, this bill expands and
clarifies the conduct for which an alien can be found removable from
the country.
The time is now to take seriously the danger of criminal aliens in
the United States. Anything that makes it easier for adjudicators and
officials to ensure a criminal alien's arrest and removal should
receive overwhelming bipartisan support, particularly when it comes to
sex offenses and domestic violence.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 30, the Preventing
Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act, and I reserve the balance
of my time.
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I
am delighted to be here with you and with the gentlewoman from Florida.
Mr. Speaker, America's immigration laws are like an admissions policy
for the country: How do you get into America, who gets kicked out of
America, and for what reasons. Our immigration laws today will get you
kicked out, deported from the country if you commit rape, other sex
offenses, domestic violence, or, indeed, any other crime of violence.
That is the law today. You are convicted, you are deported, you are
out. That has been the law for decades in America.
{time} 0930
Our immigration law establishes a similar policy on the way in. It
provides that anyone seeking admission to America who has committed a
violent sex offense or a crime of domestic violence is inadmissible to
our country.
Since the 1930s, case law has made it perfectly clear that rape,
domestic violence, and sexual battery are all ``crimes involving moral
turpitude,'' which make the perpetrator inadmissible to America. That
has been the law in our country for decades.
What does H.R. 30 add? If committing a sexual assault or domestic
violence will already render you deportable and inadmissible under our
laws, why do we need to create another section of the law doing the
same thing? Is it necessary, or is it redundant?
Of course, its being redundant or unnecessary may not be a sufficient
reason to vote against the bill. After all, I cheerfully admit that
this body, under the stewardship of our friends, passes a lot of
unnecessary and redundant legislation in the House just to send a
message, as they say. Perhaps this is what our friends set out to do
today, to pass another simple messaging bill.
The complication today is this: The way this messaging bill is
actually written will create big problems for many, many victims of
domestic violence. That is why more than 200 national, State, and local
groups advocating for the victims of rape and the survivors of domestic
violence, the people across America we should be listening to today,
strongly oppose the bill our colleagues have brought forward.
The National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence sent us a
letter urging us to reject H.R. 30. I urge every single Member of
Congress to read this letter carefully before you vote on this bill.
The groups fighting domestic violence warn that this legislation
``can ultimately have devastating consequences for immigrant victims of
domestic violence.''
[[Page H193]]
The signers of this letter include a range of national groups like
the YWCA, National Council of Jewish Women, AFL-CIO, Coalition of Labor
Union Women, and dozens of State and local groups, like the California
Partnership to End Domestic Violence, Colorado Coalition Against Sexual
Assault, Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Mississippi
Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Catholic Charities in Omaha,
Nebraska, and dozens and dozens more from States across the country.
Please read this letter.
These are groups working to change the law and culture to stop rape
and domestic violence in our country, but they see that this poorly
drafted legislation would end up harming untold numbers of victims of
domestic violence themselves, the putative beneficiaries of the act.
Here is why: When it comes to crimes involving moral turpitude, there
are exceptions in the law to protect domestic violence victims who
often get swept up in the very laws designed to protect them.
Anyone who has ever been a prosecutor or a public defender in this
Chamber knows that it is common for abusers to accuse their victims of
domestic violence themselves and assault, sometimes truthfully, often
falsely. In any event, it is well known that the victims get arrested,
prosecuted, and sometimes even convicted simply for defending
themselves and fighting back against their abusers and rapists.
Here is a real-life example drawn from the domestic violence survivor
advocacy groups opposing their legislation. A young woman on a student
visa here was trapped in an abusive relationship, and her estranged
boyfriend tried to rape her. She fought back, biting his ear and
drawing blood.
She then called the police to report the rape, but upon seeing the
boyfriend's injury, the officers also arrested the female victim, whose
language skills kept her from comprehensively explaining what had
happened at that point. She spent several days in jail and was
ultimately convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence, but the judge
sentenced her to time served once she got a lawyer and translation
services, which allowed the context of the violent abuse that she had
been enduring to become made plain to the police and the court.
Because of exceptions that exist in our laws today, this woman was
not deemed inadmissible to America because her simple assault charge
carried less than a 6-month penalty. Under the new bill, which would
establish inadmissibility without any waivers or exceptions at all for
victims, she would clearly have to be deemed inadmissible to America.
No exceptions would exist any longer for domestic violence victims who
have committed minor crimes in the context of resisting their violent
abuse.
This means that the victim in this case, who is legally in the United
States on a student visa while she attends college, would be barred
permanently from obtaining a green card or any new immigration status
simply because she was a victim of an attempted rape who fought back
against her attacker. With no ability ever to adjust her status under
the law, she would be deported and kicked out of our country
permanently.
Some might say that this is the price she should rightly pay for
biting or hitting back at her violent abuser, but do we really want to
say that we would not want our daughters, sisters, or mothers to do the
same in that situation?
Should we really compound the horrors of domestic violence and
assaults with a harsh immigration penalty on victims? Do we want to
give domestic abusers more power over their victims by giving them more
opportunities to file charges, true or false, against their victims to
keep them from reporting their abuse to authorities?
It seems we live in a time, Mr. Speaker, when it is very easy to
forgive sexual abusers, assailants, rapists, and sexual harassers who
have a lot of power and wealth in society but very hard to forgive
their victims for fighting back.
Look what is going on across the hallway. Secretary of Defense
nominee Pete Hegseth has been credibly accused of sexually assaulting a
woman at a conference in 2017 and entered into a major private
financial settlement over the charges, and there are people planning to
vote for this legislation today who also support his nomination.
Education Secretary nominee Linda McMahon and her husband were
recently sued for failing to act on credible allegations of sexual
abuse within the World Wrestling Entertainment organization.
Finally, of course, the President-elect's initial pick for Attorney
General, Matt Gaetz, faces numerous allegations of sex trafficking a
minor and statutory rape.
There are civil adjudications of sexual abuse going to the very top
of the new administration. The law, as it stands today and as we have
had it for decades, provides for waivers to protect the immigration
status of victims of domestic violence who are charged with fighting
back against their abuser.
While the proposed bill would retain waivers for victims in the
deportability context, it would not allow for waivers or exceptions in
the inadmissibility context. I don't know why this asymmetry and
discordance were written into this legislation, whether it was
deliberate or just accidental, but the upshot is that the entire
national movement working to arrest and reduce domestic violence in
America is now opposing this bill that claims to be in support of the
victims of domestic violence.
We note another serious problem with the bill, which makes it
backfire again against victims. It would significantly expand the
definition of ``domestic violence'' to include the statutory Violence
Against Women Act definition that is used for the civil context of
grants and funding. This much broader definition was never designed to
be used in criminal law. In fact, the definition explicitly says that
it covers conduct ``that may or may not constitute criminal behavior.''
The definition of domestic violence under existing Federal criminal
law, which is currently also used in immigration law, focuses on the
element, Mr. Speaker, of physical force, but the broader VAWA-based
definition appropriately fitted for grant and funding purposes sweeps
in a broad range of behaviors, including verbal, psychological,
economic, or technological abuse.
Once again, in the inadmissibility context, this transposition can
have severe consequences. Imagine a domestic violence victim covered by
DACA who flees her abuser and removes half of the money from their
joint bank account, enough to get a train or bus ticket to get away.
Imagine the abuser calls the police and claims that she stole money
from him and committed a theft. By merely admitting to the fact that
she took funds out of their bank account, the victim could end up being
deemed inadmissible and then removed from America.
Remember, the new inadmissibility grounds created by this bill do not
require a conviction but a mere admission of the underlying facts.
The point is clear: If our goal is to prevent violence against women
by illegal aliens, as the bill's title says, our current criminal and
immigration laws already do that. We have strict punishments in place
for anyone who commits such crimes, including deportation and
inadmissibility for foreign nationals.
This bill would only make the immigration laws much harsher on the
victims of domestic violence, sexual battery, and rape, which is the
opposite of what we should be doing.
America, when it lives up to its ideals, as Tom Paine said, will
become an asylum to humanity, not an insane asylum, mind you, but a
place of refuge for people seeking freedom from religious, political,
and economic oppression, and also, I might add, the kind of private
gender violence that creates oppression and tyranny in the home.
Two centuries later, Ronald Reagan echoed the sentiment, reminding us
that America was a ``shining city upon a hill,'' a refuge ``for all the
Pilgrims from all the lost places who are hurtling through the
darkness, toward home.''
Last year, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Violence Against
Women Act, and we must continue our work to oppose the tyranny of
domestic violence over women in our country, but this legislation would
set back our efforts to protect survivors and to stop abuse.
[[Page H194]]
Mr. Speaker, I ask the majority to reconsider this legislation and
for my colleagues to join us in opposing it.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman
from North Carolina (Mr. Harris).
Mr. HARRIS of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of
H.R. 30, the Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act.
Mr. Speaker, common sense dictates that if an illegal alien is in our
country and commits a sex offense or domestic violence, they should be
deported immediately. Common sense dictates that if an alien is at the
border and has committed these kinds of egregious crimes in their past,
they should not be allowed to take one step onto American soil.
Anything short of this standard is a complete and utter failure to
protect American women and girls. This bill before us today ensures
just that.
As Republicans, we have been called to clean up Biden's border
crisis, and that means not only deporting illegal alien sex offenders
and abusers, but we must stop them from coming into our country in the
first place.
It is common sense that the legislation before us today codifies this
standard. The Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act
shouldn't be controversial. Sadly, as we saw last week with the Laken
Riley Act, many of our colleagues on the other side of the aisle will
use any excuse to oppose commonsense border security.
I stand on behalf of my constituents in North Carolina's Eighth
Congressional District to urge my colleagues to support this crucial
initiative in our fight to keep our citizens safe.
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from
Washington (Ms. Jayapal).
Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, here we are, once again, with my Republican
colleagues bringing a bill to the floor that does absolutely nothing to
address the needs of the American people.
My Republican colleagues made lots of campaign promises to lower
costs for everyday Americans, but not a single bill so far has done
anything like that. Instead, this week appears to be a week where they
say they are protecting women, yet their actions tell a different
story.
Today, we are discussing a bill that takes the Violence Against Women
Act, a bill meant to protect victims of domestic violence, and
weaponizes it against domestic violence victims.
{time} 0945
Mr. Speaker, that is exactly why 200 local and national advocacy
organizations for survivors of domestic violence from across the
country with deep expertise in this area have come out so strongly to
oppose this bill.
I am talking about the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic
Violence, the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, the National
Network to End Domestic Violence, the Asian Pacific Institute on
Gender-Based Violence, and groups that serve domestic violence
survivors in more than 40 States across the country.
Let me be very clear once again. Under our current laws, those who
are convicted or admit to domestic violence or crimes listed in this
bill are already deportable and inadmissible to the country. There is
actually no gap in the law that needs to be fixed.
Instead, in a perverse move, this bill would make it easier to label
survivors of domestic violence as perpetrators to make them removable
from the country and eliminate existing legal safeguards that protect
survivors. Once again, this is a bill that widens the highway to Donald
Trump's mass deportation plans.
I want to talk through an example. The police show up to a domestic
violence call. The victim was attacked by her abuser, and she fought
back in self-defense. Maybe the abuser has some scratches on his face.
It is common practice for the police to arrest both parties in that
situation when responding to a domestic violence incident. The police
write a report, describing how the victim hit her abuser in self-
defense.
Under this bill, that is an admission constituting the elements of
domestic violence, and this woman is now inadmissible and subject to
deportation. Even if she is never charged, even if a judge later rules
that she did not commit any crime, that so-called admission in the
police report that she responded in self-defense to hit her abuser is
enough to make her inadmissible under this bill.
Again, that is why more than 200 advocacy organizations for domestic
violence survivors, deeply ensconced in the material of what happens
every day across the country far too often, are all deeply opposed to
this legislation. They know that this expansive bill that eliminates
the existing safeguards for domestic violence survivors will harm those
exact survivors and create a chilling effect for reporting future
crimes, empowering abusers to go after immigrant women and children.
Right now we are only talking about immigrant survivors. Is this bill
the start of a dangerous road, watering down protections for all
victims of domestic violence across the country? Who is next?
The Violence Against Women Act is a landmark piece of legislation, a
testament to a time when Democrats and Republicans could actually come
together and legislate on issues of fundamental importance to this
Nation, despite our differences.
The initial iteration of VAWA passed the House by voice vote. Can you
imagine that? It passed by voice vote. It reshaped how we as a country
talk about gender-based violence and how we treat survivors.
The Violence Against Women Act recognized that we cannot be serious
about eliminating violence against women if we are not equally serious
about eradicating violence against everyone, regardless of immigration
status.
There are so many reasons why individuals in domestic violence
situations are unjustly forced into the criminal legal system. We have
seen the data. Too often survivors are arrested alongside their abuser,
and they are charged and even convicted of crimes involving violence
which later prove to be in self-defense or unjustly charged. This bill
makes it more likely that we harm the very people we want to protect.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the
gentlewoman from Washington.
Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, here is the cruel irony. In the same week
that Republicans are putting forth the nomination of a Secretary of
Defense who won't even say that sexual assault is disqualifying,
Republicans want to fool you into thinking that they care about
domestic violence and sexual assault survivors.
I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Despite VAWA's bipartisan
history, we now have to fight tooth and nail to reauthorize it. It was
Republicans who let the Violence Against Women Act languish and expire
for 3 years. The leader of the Republican Party is once again a man who
was found liable for sexual misconduct and bragged about grabbing and
forcibly kissing women without their consent.
Last year, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of VAWA's enactment.
Today, we have to watch our colleagues across the aisle make another
cheap attempt to divide us and play gotcha politics. We should work
together to eradicate domestic violence.
My bill, the WISE Act, would strengthen protections for survivors. I
wish we could do that here and not this harmful, misleading bill. I
urge my colleagues to oppose it.
Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from over 200 local and
national domestic violence organizations who oppose this bill.
National Task Force To End Sexual & Domestic Violence
January 13, 2025.
Honorable Members of the House, The undersigned groups that
serve and advocate on behalf of victims of domestic violence,
sexual assault, dating violence, stalking, and human
trafficking, write to voice our opposition to HR 30.
We oppose this legislation as it would expand the
circumstances under which domestic violence, child abuse and
neglect, stalking, and sex offenses would constitute grounds
of inadmissibility, as well as expand the definition of
domestic violence to be considered for inadmissibility or
deportability grounds. These measures would negatively impact
immigrant survivors of domestic and sexual violence, and fail
to alleviate the primary barriers to safety and stability
experienced by survivors seeking relief under the Immigration
and Nationality Act.
We are especially troubled that this legislation fails to
include waivers that take into
[[Page H195]]
account the needs of the victim or their family, and that it
will limit the discretion that judges can exercise where the
equities warrant, including situations where survivors who
are inadvertently caught up in the criminal legal system will
be harmed.
Unfortunately, immigrant victims are particularly
vulnerable to being arrested and prosecuted for domestic
violence if they acted in self-defense or are accused by an
abuser of being a primary aggressor. A well-known tactic of
abusers to maintain power and control over their victims is
to report (and threaten to report) their partner to
authorities, including local law enforcement, child
protective services, ICE, and others--falsely claiming that
their partner (the victim of their violence) is the one who
is violent, neglectful, etc. These false reports (and the
threats of them) are too often highly effective at keeping
victims trapped in violent relationships.
Moreover, we know that parents of color are
disproportionately accused of child abuse offenses, including
abandonment and neglect. Domestic violence survivors are not
infrequently charged with child neglect for having ``failed
to protect'' their children from witnessing or exposure to an
adult's violence committed against the non-abusive parent,
resulting in doubly penalizing the survivor and the children
for violence committed by someone else. This legislation
creates grounds of inadmissibility for these offenses without
requiring a conviction, in circumstances where an individual
admits that they committed acts that would constitute a
crime.
Language and cultural barriers, fear of the abuser and the
authorities, confusion, intimidation, a lack of awareness of
rights, and a lack of access to advocates and other
resources, all may prevent an immigrant victim from being
able to communicate what really happened. Once in custody
and/or facing trial, and desperate to be released and
reunited with their children, these same factors--combined
with poor legal counsel, particularly about the immigration
consequences of criminal pleas and convictions--could lead to
ineligibility for status, or the deportation of wrongly
accused victims who may have pled to or been unfairly
convicted of domestic violence charges.
The legislation's expansion of the definition of domestic
violence, which was expressly included in the Violence
Against Women Act to allow for the provision of a greater
array of victim services, to include circumstances that may
not involve violence, physical force, or threats of such is
also likely to sweep more survivors into the scope of the
ground of inadmissibility or deportability. This will result
in more victims being deported and/or bar them from obtaining
lawful status. In so doing, it invites additional scrutiny of
survivors during the course of their efforts to obtain
immigration protections and safety from violence.
Furthermore, expanding the grounds of inadmissibility or
ineligibility for status with no waivers would increase the
risk that victims will decline to seek assistance from law
enforcement or services if they fear that it will result in a
family member being barred from legal status. When creating
penalties, balance is key. Deterrence is critically important
but will be ineffective if consequences are so severe that
survivors will not come forward.
Although we are grateful for the efforts of lawmakers to
seek to address the impact of domestic violence, sexual
assault, dating violence, and stalking, we believe the best
way to do so is by expanding accessibility of survivor-based
immigration relief and related benefits to noncitizen
survivors, and by eliminating the cap on visas available to
petitioners for U and T nonimmigrant visas and the number of
cases eligible for final adjudications of VAWA Cancellation
of Removal. Rather than rushing to enact additional
immigration pe4alties that could cause harm to survivors, we
urge Congressional representatives to consult with service
providers and survivors themselves to develop legislation
that is responsive to their experiences and needs.
As a diverse coalition of organizations serving and
advocating on behalf of victims of domestic violence, sexual
assault, dating violence, and stalking, we thank you for
paying vigilant attention to how this bill, by expanding the
ways in which domestic violence arrests cad prevent people
from accessing or maintaining legal status, can ultimately
have devastating consequences for immigrant victims of
domestic violence.
Sincerely,
National Organizations
Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence, ASISTA
Immigration Assistance, Esperanza United, Tahirih Justice
Center, AF31RM, Alliance of Tribal Coalitions to End
Violence, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC),
Americans for Immigrant Justice, American Muslim Health
Professionals, Autistic Self Advocacy, Black Women's
Blueprint, BWJP, Caminar Latino-Latinos United for Peace and
Equity, Caring Across Generations, Center for Constitutional
Rights, Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, Coalition for
Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), Center for Popular
Democracy, Coalition on Human Needs, Coalition of Labor Union
Women, AFL-CIO, Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the
Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces, Freedom Network USA, Futures
Without Violence, Gender-Based Violence Consulting, Human
Trafficking Legal Center, IAmProSe, Immigrant Legal Resource
Center, Japanese American Citizens League, Jewish Women
International, Joyful Heart Foundation, Just Solutions,
Justice in Aging, Justice and Joy National Collaborative
(formerly National Crittenton).
Justice for Migrant Women, Legal Momentum, Lovelace
Consulting, Mujeres Latinas en Accion, National Advocacy
Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, Nationat Alliance
to End Sexual Violence, National Association of Social
Workers, National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and
Mental Health, National Council of Jewish Women, National
Employment Law Project, National Indigenous Women's Resource
Center, National LGBTQ Institute on Intimate Partner
Violence, National Network to End Domestic Violence, National
Resource Center on Domestic Violence, National Survivor
Network, National Women's Law Center, Planned Parenthood
Federation of America, Public Advocacy for Kids (PAK),
Reframe Health and Justice, Refugees International, Respect
Together, Safe Havens Interfaith Partnership Against Domestic
Violence and Elder Abuse, SAGE Empowerment, Sahiyo U.S.,
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Justice Team, South Asian
SOAR, The National Domestic Violence Hotline, UltraViolet
Action, VALOR, Youth First Justice Collaborative, YWCA USA.
State, Territorial, and Local
Alabama:
AshaKiran.
Arizona:
Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence,
William E. Morris Institute for Justice.
Arkansas:
Arkansas Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
California:
California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, Coalition
to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking, Al Otro Lado, Asian Law
Alliance, Community Solutions, Empower Yolo, Haus of a
Stranger, Healthy Alternatives to Violent Environments,
Immigration Center for Women and Children, Justice At Last,
Los Angeles LGBT Center, Maitri, North Coast Rape Crisis
Team, Peace Over Violence, Project Sister Family Services,
Rape Counseling Services of Fresno, Reach the Valley (REACH),
Verity, Wild Iris Family Counseling and Crisis Center, YWCA
Golden Gate Silicon Valley.
Colorado:
Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Violence Free
Colorado, American Friends Service Committee, Colorado
Companeros: Four Corners Immigrant Resource Center, Colorado
Immigrant Rights Coalition, El Corazon LLC, Swan Counseling
Services, Denver Justice and Peace Committee.
Connecticut:
Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Delaware:
Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence (DCADV).
District of Columbia:
DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Asian Pacific
American Legal Resource Center, Bend the Arc: Jewish Action,
The Person Center.
Florida:
Florida Legal Services, Inc.
Georgia:
Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Clayton County
Association Against Family Violence, Inc., Columbus Alliance
for Battered Women, Inc. d/b/a Hope Harbour, International
Women's House, Northwest Georgia Family Crisis Center, Inc.,
Raksha, Inc.
Hawaii:
Domestic Violence Action Center, Maui Economic Opportunity,
Inc.
Idaho:
Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence.
Illinois:
Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Illinois
Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Illinois Accountability
Initiative, Illinois Alliance for Reentry and Justice, Arab
American Family Services, Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan
Family Services, The Porchlight Collective SAP.
Indiana:
Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Inc., Indiana
Coalition to End Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking
(ICESAHT), Family Service Association, ASSIST Indiana, Inc.,
The Caring Place, Sheltering Wings, The Center for Women and
Families, Inc., The Stepping Stone Shelter.
Iowa:
Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence, EMBARC Iowa.
Kansas:
Kansas Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence.
Kentucky:
Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs, ZeroV.
Louisiana:
Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault.
Maine:
Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, Maine Coalition
Against Sexual Assault, Preble Street.
[[Page H196]]
Maryland:
Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Network Against
Domestic Violence, The Human Trafficking Prevention Project,
University of Maryland SAFE Center.
Massachusetts:
Jane Doe Inc.
Michigan:
Michigan Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence,
SafeHouse Center.
Minnesota:
Violence Free Minnesota, Transforming Generations.
Mississippi:
Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Montana:
Montana Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.
Nebraska:
Nebraska Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence,
Catholic Charities of Omaha, Parent-Child Center, Rape and
Domestic Abuse Program, Willow Rising.
Nevada:
Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence,
Immigration Center for Women and Children--Nevada Office.
New Jersey:
New Jersey Coalition to End Domestic Violence.
New Mexico:
Tewa Women United.
New York:
New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence,
Brooklyn Defender Services, Co-Counsel NYC, Catholic
Migration Services, Jahajee Sisters, Her Justice, Inc.,
Hope's Door, Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation, Safe
Horizon Immigration Law Project, The Legal Aid Society,
Turning Point for Women & Families, urban justice center |
domestic violence project, Violence Intervention Program,
Womankind.
North Carolina:
North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence, NC
Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Family Abuse Services,
Families First, Inc., Friend to Friend, Kearah's Place Inc.,
Our Voice, Ruth's House, Safelight Inc., Shining Light in
Darkness, UCare, Inc.
Ohio:
Ohio Alliance To End Sexual Violence, Ohio Domestic
Violence Network, Advocating Opportunity.
Oregon:
Oregon Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.
Pennsylvania:
Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence,
Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center, Pennsylvania
Coalition to Advance Respect, Citizens Against Physical,
Sexual, and Emotional Abuse, Inc. (CAPSEA, Inc.), Congreso de
Latinos Unidos, Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern
Pennsylvania, Family Services Incorporated, Laurel House,
Lutheran Settlement House, SEAMAAC, Inc., Safe Monroe,
Turning Point of Lehigh Valley, Inc., Victims Resource
Center, Women's Center of Greater Pittsburgh, Women In
Transition, The Women's Center, Inc., WRC.
Puerto Rico:
Casa Juana Colon, Centro de la Mujer Dominicana, Inc.
Rhode Island:
Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
South Carolina:
South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Assault.
Tennessee:
Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence.
Texas:
Daya Inc., Houston Immigration Legal Services
Collaborative, Mosaic Family Services.
Utah:
Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Utah Domestic
Violence Coalition.
Vermont:
Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence,
AWARE, Inc., Mosaic Vermont, NewStory Center, Safeline, Inc.
Virginia:
Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance,
Ayuda.
Washington:
WA State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, API Chaya,
Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, YWCA of Walla Walla.
West Virginia:
West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence.
Wisconsin:
End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin, Wisconsin Coalition Against
Sexual Assault, ASTOP, Inc. Sexual Abuse Center, BeLEAF
Survivors, Benedict Center, Deaf Unity, FREE, Freedom, Inc.,
FRIENDS, Inc., Embrace Services, Inc., Reach Counseling,
Roots4Change Cooperative, UNIDOS Against Domestic
ViolenceStepping Stones, Inc., We All Rise AARC.
Wyoming:
Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual
Assault.
Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman
from Virginia (Mr. Cline).
Mr. CLINE. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for leading the
charge on this legislation, and I find it appalling to hear the
rhetoric from the other side.
The excuses being made for the individuals who are here illegally,
committing acts of domestic violence, committing acts of violence
against women, and trying to defeat this legislation that would
strengthen the laws to help these victims are appalling.
As a former domestic violence prosecutor and as a State legislator,
we have seen this before. When we try to strengthen laws to protect
victims of domestic violence, we find all too often those who would
essentially become apologists for the abusers themselves come in and
object to these efforts.
We are seeing that here today. When it comes to the Violence Against
Women Act, yes, that was a bipartisan piece of legislation until the
Democrats were in control of the House. Then we saw them try to amend
it to make it more pro-abortion rights, pro-trans rights. You can't
even define a woman. How are you going to pass a Violence Against Women
Act that actually protects women?
Yes, we stand for the original Violence Against Women Act. In fact,
we offered it as a substitute. Guess what? The Democrats voted against
it because they would rather stand up for the other extraneous
provisions of the legislation.
This legislation will protect American communities from criminal,
illegal aliens; create new grounds of inadmissibility and removability;
and expand current grounds for aliens who commit sex offenses and
domestic violence offenses.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support it because illegal
aliens who commit child abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence
have no place in our country. This bill makes it clear that predators
will not be tolerated in the United States.
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I wonder if our colleagues could explain why more than
200 groups advocating for women's rights and women's security are
opposing this legislation?
Can they explain why the groups that are on the front lines of
opposing domestic violence reject their legislation as sloppy and bound
to hurt the victims?
We have heard no explanation about that, and we reject the slur that
we are somehow standing up for the abusers here when we are standing up
for the victims. This legislation, if it were to pass, would actually
make it a lot easier for the abusers to terrify and intimidate the
victims.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the very distinguished gentleman
from California (Mr. Correa).
Mr. CORREA. Mr. Speaker, let's be clear: Under current law, people
who commit sexual offenses are already inadmissible to this country and
subject to deportation.
Let's be clear: I fully support, all of us fully support, getting
convicted sexual predators off of our streets, irrespective of their
legal status.
Sexual crimes are the most heinous crimes. However, to solve a crime,
first you have to report it. Sadly, sex crimes are the most
underreported crimes there are.
Mr. Speaker, in Orange County, we have worked for years to make sure
to earn the trust so the immigrant community can step up and report
crimes, and this bill is going to undo all of that work. This bill, by
using the broader VAWA definition, will make victims who acted in self-
defense, victims who were wrongly accused by their abusers, unable to
defend themselves, and subject to deportation.
This bill will also apply to individuals with legal status, people
with green cards, students, temporary workers, DACA holders, and TPS
holders.
Mr. Speaker, this bill will now give crime victims all the reasons in
the world not to report a crime. This bill punishes victims, pushes
victims back into the shadows, telling the victims if they report a
crime, they are subject to deportation.
I ask my colleagues to let us go back. Let us redraft this bill to do
what it is
[[Page H197]]
intended to do, to get sexual predators off our streets and to protect
the victims of sex crimes, the most heinous crimes.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this measure.
Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman
from California (Mr. McClintock).
Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, three moms came before the House
Committee on the Judiciary last fall. They had one thing in common.
Their daughters had been brutally assaulted and murdered by illegal
aliens who had been allowed into this country by the Democratic
administration and had not been removed even after committing other
offenses, as well.
The statistics tell us how broad this threat has become. Behind the
statistics are grieving families, shattered lives, and entirely
preventable atrocities. Not one of these murderers would have been here
except for the Democrats' deliberate policies.
The Democrats often talk about the war on women, but they couldn't
care less about allowing a flood of sexual offenders, domestic violence
offenders, and child abusers into our communities, allowing them to
stay indefinitely, free from any fear of deportation and protected by
the Democrats' sanctuary laws.
When these monsters commit these ghastly acts and grief-stricken moms
come here for help, the Democrats put on their best long faces, assure
everyone how much they grieve with the families, and then argue to
continue precisely the same policies that have produced this nightmare
in the first place.
Thank God that in 4 days this tragic chapter in our Nation's history
will close. Shortly after noon on Monday, President Trump will issue
executive orders to protect the American people once again. It is too
late for these grieving families but perhaps just in time for yours or
mine.
Yet I worry that if the Democrats are ever returned to power, these
policies will resume. We have got to change our laws so that they
can't. This measure removes the loopholes in current law that allowed
the Democrats to unleash this scourge on our communities and requires
that illegal aliens who commit sex offenses or domestic violence not be
allowed into this country under any circumstances and must be
immediately removed if they do get in, no matter who is President.
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Simon).
Ms. SIMON. Mr. Speaker, I thank Ranking Member Raskin for the time.
Mr. Speaker, I am honored today to speak in this Chamber as a
survivor. Folks know back home that I have been doing this work for 30
years, day in and day out.
As a survivor, I almost lost my life in my early twenties. I am proud
to stand with millions of women and girls who have been victims and who
are moving toward survivorship in saying no to this piece of
legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I come with 30 years of experience. I started my career
leading the Young Women's Freedom Center, and I stood shoulder to
shoulder with young women and girls who had been trafficked and beaten.
I have been in morgues. I have been in the tanks of our county jails,
literally on my knees, pleading with law enforcement to let young women
out who themselves were victims and who were incarcerated wrongly for
standing up for themselves while they fought for their lives.
I have learned through this work that justice is not a principle. It
is our responsibility.
Later in my career, I led the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights
Under Law started by President Kennedy. We expanded access and legal
representation for migrants and asylum seekers, many who came seeking
peace and solidarity, in search of safety and dignity.
Today, as a Representative of California's 12th District, I remain
committed to advancing real solutions and making our communities safer.
I, too, was a domestic violence advocate for a prosecutor.
{time} 1000
I know this work. I remain committed to working with my colleagues on
both sides of the aisle to fix a severely broken immigration system,
but moreover, I am here to stand up for victims.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman from California an
additional 1 minute.
Ms. SIMON. H.R. 30, and I repeat, does nothing to advance these
solutions. Instead, it broadens the definition of domestic violence in
ways that punishes survivors, making them inadmissible and subject to
deportation, regardless of their legal status.
I say to my colleagues: We must read this bill. Read it. Let me be
clear: We know that Federal law already allows deportation, demands
deportation for individuals convicted of domestic violence. H.R. 30
doesn't strengthen the protection of survivors--it weaponizes them.
I know what it means to protect victims, Mr. Speaker. It means to
fight systemic inequities in our current systems that don't work for
those victims or survivors. H.R. 30 doesn't do this work.
That is why I too stand with over 200 organizations, one in which I
cofounded, the Sister Warriors Freedom Coalition, that is 10,000
strong, who are young women and girls who are surviving rape and
domestic violence and trafficking. They, too, say no.
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her
distinguished remarks, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman
from Missouri (Mr. Onder).
Mr. ONDER. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 30, the
Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act.
President Biden's open-border policies have been felt in our
communities where now more than ever women are hesitant to walk alone
in parking lots and look over their shoulders.
In the past few years, we have seen illegal aliens chase, beat,
sexually assault, and burn women even in public. These illegal aliens
target and abuse women.
This bill sends an important message that we will have zero tolerance
for domestic and sexual violence by illegal aliens.
H.R. 30, the Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act,
builds on the Laken Riley Act. While the Laken Riley Act would have
prevented the death of that 22-year-old nursing student, this bill will
protect women in the future by strengthening protections against
violent aliens.
This bill has two important components.
First, it amends current immigration law to expand the definition of
sex offenses that require deportation. It would explicitly create
grounds for inadmissibility for aliens who commit a sex offense as
defined by the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006.
Second, it explicitly establishes a ground of inadmissibility for
specific domestic violence offenses. It closes a loophole in current
law and clarifies what illegal aliens must be removed for domestic
violence.
Enforcement by ICE for these offenses has plummeted in the years
between the Trump and the Biden administrations. Over that same period,
we have seen an increase in violent crimes and sexual assaults by
illegal aliens. It is time to replace the slap-on-the-wrist approach
with law and order.
I genuinely believe that this legislation is part of our mandate from
the American people, and we should send this legislation to Donald
Trump's desk for signature on day one.
On Tuesday, I was very encouraged to see 48 of my Democrat colleagues
vote for the commonsense protection of Americans by voting for the
Laken Riley Act. Deporting domestic violence offenders and aliens who
commit sexual assault should not be a partisan issue. I hope that my
colleagues on the other side of the aisle will join us in supporting
H.R. 30.
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished
gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler).
Mr. NADLER. Mr. Speaker, let's be very clear. Sexual offenses and
domestic violence are serious crimes and are already grounds for
deportability and inadmissibility, as they should be.
Unfortunately, this bill is so poorly drafted that it would result in
extremely harsh and unintended consequences, including the removal of
survivors of domestic violence.
[[Page H198]]
This bill attempts to significantly expand the definition of domestic
violence to include the Violence Against Women Act definition that is
used for grants and funding. This is a much broader definition that was
never meant to be used in criminal law. We know that because the
definition explicitly says it covers conduct ``that may or may not
constitute criminal behavior.''
The definition for domestic violence under Federal criminal law
focuses on physical force. This broader VAWA-based definition sweeps in
a wider range of behaviors that domestic violence organizations say
will implicate survivors who have used violence in self-defense or who
were accused by their abusers and were either unable to defend
themselves or pled guilty to avoid having to go through the court
process.
This bill would also make it less likely that immigrant communities
will report incidents of domestic violence. We recently celebrated the
30th anniversary of the passage of VAWA, and we should continue our
work to combat domestic violence, but this legislation would actually
set back our efforts to protect survivors.
That is why over 200 national and local groups, as part of the
National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, the experts in
the field, oppose this legislation. I think we ought to listen to them.
We need to work together to solve our immigration problems, but this
bill takes us in the wrong direction.
The Republican majority has chosen to begin this year with a series
of bills intended to fearmonger and demonize immigrants.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Kennedy of Utah). The time of the
gentleman has expired.
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman from New York an
additional 15 seconds to conclude.
Mr. NADLER. The Republican majority has chosen to begin this year
with a series of bills intended to fearmonger and demonize immigrants.
This legislation not only perpetuates that effort, but it would also
have serious consequences for survivors of domestic violence.
I urge my colleagues to oppose this misguided bill.
Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield 7 minutes to the gentlewoman
from South Carolina (Ms. Mace).
Ms. MACE. Mr. Speaker, yes, I rise today to ``demonize,'' as the word
was used on the left across the aisle, to demonize illegal immigrants
who are here raping our women and girls, murdering our women and girls,
and who are pedophiles molesting our children. You are darn right. That
is what I am here to do today.
I rise in strong support of my bill, H.R. 30, the Preventing Violence
Against Women By Illegal Aliens Act.
Under the open-border policies of Joe Biden and border czar Kamala
Harris and Secretary Mayorkas, our country has been ravaged by a hoard
of illegal aliens molesting American children, battering and bruising
and beating up American women, and violently raping American women and
girls.
My bill makes it very clear: If an illegal alien commits a sex crime
or an act of domestic violence, they are inadmissible and deportable--
we aren't letting you into our country, and if you are already here, we
are sending you back to yours.
My colleagues on the other side of the aisle like to try to minimize
this issue because they refuse to acknowledge the consequences of their
open-borders agenda, but the numbers don't lie.
According to ICE, as of July, there were nearly 650,000 illegal
aliens on the nondetained docket who are convicted criminals who have
been charged with crimes.
These criminal illegal aliens freely roam our streets committing
senseless acts of violence against American women and children. This
includes over 100,000 illegal aliens convicted of or charged with
assault. It includes over 20,000 illegal aliens convicted of or charged
with sexual assault and rape. It includes over 12,000 illegal aliens
convicted of or charged with sex offenses. It includes over 3,000
illegal aliens convicted of or charged with kidnapping. And it includes
nearly 15,000 illegal aliens convicted of or charged with murder. That
is who the left are defending this morning: murderers, rapists, and
pedophiles.
Hundreds of thousands of criminal illegal aliens are out on our
streets terrorizing our women and girls. This bill passed the House
last year in September by a vote of 266-158. Mr. Speaker, 158 Democrats
voted against this bill last time. Will they apologize to American
women and girls today and do the right thing for our citizens?
A vote against this bill is a vote against deporting illegal aliens
who rape and abuse women and children. A vote against this bill is a
vote to invite illegal aliens who rape and abuse women and children
into the United States of America. I can think of nothing less American
than that.
It is despicable that 158 Members of this body, which is supposed to
represent the interests of American citizens, voted to prioritize
illegal aliens who are sexual predators and domestic abusers, rapists,
and pedophiles over the safety of American women and girls.
Mr. Speaker, what do the 158 Members of this body who voted last time
to protect illegal aliens who are sexual predators have to say to the
family of Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old girl who was brutally raped
and strangled to death by two illegal aliens from Venezuela?
What do the 158 Democrats who voted against this bill last time have
to say to the family of Rachel Morin from Maryland, a mother of five,
who was brutally raped, brutally choked, and beaten to death on a
hiking trail by an illegal alien from El Salvador?
What do the 158 Members of this body, the Democrats who voted against
this bill last time, have to say to the family of Kayla Hamilton, a 20-
year-old with autism who was tied up, raped, and strangled to death
with a phone cord by an illegal alien who was a member of MS-13?
As a survivor of both rape and domestic violence myself, I know the
devastating toll, the devastating consequences, that heinous crimes
like these have on a woman. I know the lifelong, irreversible scars
these heinous crimes leave behind.
The blood and the physical and emotional pain caused by these
tragedies, the trauma caused by these tragedies, the lifelong trauma of
these tragedies, this blood is on the hands of every single Democrat in
this body who votes against this bill.
It is our birthright as American citizens to live freely and safely
in our communities. One woman, one child victimized by one illegal
alien is one too many. They have no right to be here.
Some of my colleagues across the aisle claim that the definition of
domestic violence in this bill is too broad. They are wrong. The
current definition isn't broad enough, and I know this now that I have
been a victim most recently of domestic violence and abuse that VAWA
did not go far enough, and our States have a lot more to go to protect
women and girls.
I implore my colleagues to look at their hearts, hear the cries of
the families who have been shattered by these evil acts committed by
illegal aliens, and put American women and children first and pass this
bill.
{time} 1015
Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record three reports on arrests.
[From the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Feb. 2, 2024]
ERO Seattle Arrests 6 Noncitizens With Criminal Convictions for Child
Exploitation During National Operation
Seattle--U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE)
Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Seattle arrested six
noncitizens convicted of crimes related to child exploitation
during a nationwide law enforcement effort that ran from
January 16-28.
``Noncitizens who commit repugnant acts at the expense of
children will not be allowed to claim our great nation as
their home,'' said ERO Seattle Field Office Director Drew
Bostock. ``The arrests ERO Seattle made during this national
operation are an example of the constant contributions we
make locally to keep the U.S. safe from child predators.''
All arrests took place in the assigned ERO Seattle states
of Alaska, Washington and Oregon, with criminal convictions
made by courts in Washington and Oregon.
Those arrested include:
A 53-year-old citizen of El Salvador in Tacoma who was
convicted of felony child molestation in the first degree,
child molestation in the second degree, and rape of a child
in the third degree.
[[Page H199]]
A 42-year-old citizen of Mexico in Moses Lake who was
convicted of dealing in depictions of a minor engaged in
sexually explicit conduct.
A 39-year-old citizen of Mexico in Federal Way who was
convicted of communication with a minor for immoral purposes.
A 69-year-old citizen of Mexico in Yakima who was convicted
of dealing in depictions of a minor engaged in sexually
explicit conduct.
A 58-year-old citizen of Mexico in Yakima who was convicted
of child molestation in the first degree, child molestation
in the second degree, and rape of a child in the third
degree.
A 43-year-old citizen of Mexico in Woodburn, Oregon, who
was convicted of first degree sexual abuse of a minor.
ERO officers evaluate individuals on a case-by-case basis,
assessing the totality of the facts and circumstances to make
informed arrest determinations. Those cases amenable to
federal criminal prosecution can be presented to the U.S.
attorney's office. ERO also coordinates with U.S. Citizenship
and Immigration Services to evaluate the completion of
relevant noncitizen applications.
In fiscal year 2023, ERO arrested 73,822 noncitizens with
criminal histories; this group had 290,178 associated charges
and convictions with an average of four per individual. These
included 33,209 assaults; 4,390 sex and sexual assaults;
7,520 weapons offenses; 1,7l3 charges or convictions for
homicide; and 1,655 kidnapping offenses.
As one of ICE's three operational directorates, ERO is the
principal federal law enforcement authority in charge of
domestic immigration enforcement. ERO's mission is to protect
the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who
undermine the safety of U.S. communities and the integrity of
U.S. immigration laws, and its primary areas of focus are
interior enforcement operations, management of the agency's
detained and non-detained populations, and repatriation of
noncitizens who have received final orders of removal. ERO's
workforce consists of more than 7,700 law enforcement and
non-law enforcement support personnel across 25 domestic
field offices and 208 locations nationwide, 30 overseas
postings, and multiple temporary duty travel assignments
along the border.
Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious
activity by dialing 866-347-2423 or completing the online tip
form. Learn more about ICE's mission to increase public
safety in your community by following us on X, formerly known
as Twitter, @EROSeattle.
____
[From US NEWS, May 16, 2024]
Serial Rapist Illegal Migrant Attacked Woman in Rape Dungeon on Wheels
(By Katherine Donlevy)
An illegal migrant allegedly went on a serial raping spree
in Southern California, attacking his victims in a ``rape
dungeon on wheels'' before he was caught in the act by cops.
Eduardo Sarabia, 40, was arrested Monday with a 26-year-old
woman inside his decked-out van, which he had driven to a
remote area of the San Gabriel Mountains near San Bernadino,
sources told Fox 11.
It was the second time in two days that he allegedly took a
victim to the secluded spot--but investigators suspect that
Sarabia's twisted spree lasted much longer.
____
[From US News, June 15, 2024]
Rachel Morin Murder: Illegal Immigrant From El Salvador Charged in
Rape, Killing of Maryland Mom-of-5
(By Katherine Donlevy)
A migrant from El Salvador has been busted for the brutal
2023 rape and murder of mom of five Rachel Morin on a
Maryland hiking trail, cops said.
Victor Martinez-Hernandez, 23, was tracked down in Tulsa,
Oklahoma Friday, after police matched his DNA to the gruesome
crime scene, Harford County Sherriff Jeffrey Gahler told
reporters Saturday.
``Rachel's murderer is no longer a free man and, hopefully,
he will never have the opportunity to walk free again,''
Gahler said.
Ms. MACE. Mr. Speaker, since we have someone from the State of
Maryland, this was on FOX News: ``Arrest of illegal immigrant
previously convicted of rape in Maryland marks record for ICE.''
``ICE nabs several migrants convicted of child molestation, one
convicted murderer, in blue State suburbs.''
Another one from Maryland: ``Rachel Morin murder: Illegal immigrant
from El Salvador charged in rape, killing of Maryland mom of five.''
We had someone from Washington today talk. Here is an article about
the ERO: ``ERO Seattle arrests six noncitizens with criminal
convictions for child exploitation during national operation.''
In California: ``Serial rapist illegal migrant attacked woman in
`rape dungeon on wheels,''' said the cops.
Of course, for someone from New York, here is the headline from New
York: ``ERO New York City arrests unlawfully present Salvadoran citizen
convicted of rape.''
These are the illegals that the left is defending today. I find it
disgusting and offensive, and I will always put American women and
girls first.
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished
gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore).
Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for
yielding to me.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this dangerous
legislation. It has been pointed out in this debate that H.R. 30 fails
to protect domestic abuse survivors as it undermines the Violence
Against Women Act, historic legislation that was carefully drafted in a
bipartisan manner, which included critical protections like U visas and
T visas, the battered spouse waiver, and the option to self-petition
for permanent residence.
This legislation, whether it means it or not or intends it or not,
really cancels out these important protections.
Immigrant survivors are already afraid. We don't need to fearmonger
them anymore. They are already scared of contacting the police due to
the deportation risk, and H.R. 30 exacerbates the real concerns that
these victims will be swept up by this bill.
As noted by a wide range of stakeholders, immigrant victims are
particularly vulnerable to being arrested and prosecuted for domestic
violence or acting in self-defense, even if they are falsely accused by
an abuser of being a primary aggressor.
We know that this comes straight out of a playbook by some of our
historic traffickers and pimps. This bill would empower pimps and
traffickers as it is written, and it will sweep more survivors into
being inadmissible or deportable.
Mr. Speaker, how does that protect them?
In the name of protecting domestic violence victims, we cannot debate
and pass a bill that makes it worse for them. If the majority is
serious about addressing the epidemic of domestic and sexual violence
in our country, then we can start by addressing the funding challenges
facing the Victims of Crime Act, which supports services for victims,
or by expanding access to U visas and T visas, which help law
enforcement protect victims.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the
gentlewoman from Wisconsin.
Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, we want to protect moms from
domestic violence acts, as homicide is the leading cause of death of
pregnant women.
Mr. Speaker, at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to
recommit so we can fix this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his indulgence.
Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I am
prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close.
Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record the
text of this amendment immediately prior to the vote on the motion to
recommit.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Maryland?
There was no objection.
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
I can't blame my colleagues because they ran on a platform of doing
better than Joe Biden on the economy, but he gave us an economy that is
the glory of the world and ``the envy of the world,'' as The Economist
magazine put it recently. It created 16 million new jobs, a roaring
stock market, and a revived manufacturing sector.
Instead of doing anything to lower the price of groceries, which is
what they promised, and to lower the price of energy, which they
promised, they come back and basically ask us to pass what is already
in the law but they subtract from their duplicative and redundant
section the waivers and exceptions that protect the victims and
survivors of domestic violence.
Instead, they just want to associate all immigrants with criminal
delinquency. The vast majority of rapes in America of American women
are committed by citizens, and the vast majority of noncitizens never
commit rapes.
Donald Trump released 58,184 noncitizens with criminal records who
came in during his administration, including 8,620 violent criminals
and 306 murderers. ICE ended up rearresting 11,000
[[Page H200]]
noncitizens who had been admitted under Donald Trump.
We can sit here and demagogue back and forth and say, ``You let
someone in who did something bad. You let someone in who did something
criminal,'' but we are not going to do that. We want to make progress
for America.
Let's reject this opportunistic, silly bill, and let's move forward
to guarantee the safety of America's women.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. LEE of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my
time.
Democrats claim this bill is unnecessary because aliens who commit
sex offenses or domestic violence offenses are already inadmissible or
removable. That ignores reality.
Take, for example, the fact that, under current immigration law,
there is no explicit ground of inadmissibility for illegal aliens who
commit domestic violence offenses, despite a ground of removability for
aliens who commit such offenses, or consider that despite certain sex
offenses making aliens removable from the country, there currently is
not a ground of inadmissibility or removability for certain sex
offenses.
Although some aliens who commit these offenses may be found
inadmissible or removable for having committed a crime involving moral
turpitude, that is far from certain.
Under current law, loopholes abound. For example, in 2023, the Ninth
Circuit held that a conviction for menacing constituting domestic
violence was not a crime involving moral turpitude even though the
alien threatened his wife with a knife.
The Third Circuit held that an alien was not removable despite a
conviction for involuntary devient sexual intercourse with a 15-year-
old.
Similarly, courts have found that certain convictions for
contributing to the delinquency of a minor, assault of a victim under
12 years old, and annoying or molesting a child are not crimes
involving moral turpitude.
That is why this bill is imperative. It is to ensure that criminal
aliens who endanger families and communities can be removed from the
United States.
The Biden-Harris administration's war on women must come to an end,
and this bill is one step toward that.
Making guests in our country inadmissible to and removable from the
United States because they have committed a sex offense or domestic
violence offense should be something that even open-border Democrats
can agree with us on.
Mr. Speaker, the Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens
Act is a straightforward, commonsense bill that I urge my colleagues to
support, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 30.
H.R. 30 undermines the basic constitutional protection of a person
being innocent until proven guilty. It subjects immigrants, including
those who have been victims of domestic violence, to new grounds of
inadmissibility and deportability that do not require a conviction in
court. This is an ominous step toward the erosion of the rights of all
people in the United States, including citizens.
The U.S. immigration system has been broken for decades. Every
bipartisan proposal to fix it has been fractured by Republicans'
refusal to work with Democrats to find effective solutions.
Now, as we begin the 119th Congress with Republicans again in the
majority, they continue to reject a bipartisan way forward to find real
solutions. Instead, Republicans have chosen to bring more deeply flawed
messaging bills to the House floor. This legislation does not just
target people who are in the United States illegally. Its impact will
be felt by many of our neighbors, from green card holders and students
to temporary workers and DACA recipients.
Here's the bottom line: under our existing immigration laws, people
who commit domestic violence, sexual offenses, or other heinous crimes
are already inadmissible and removable. This bill does not secure the
border, nor does it work to fix our immigration system. It only puts
innocent people, legally present in the United States, at risk of
deportation. Republicans must begin to work toward bipartisan,
constructive solutions to fix our broken immigration system.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Moran). All time for debate has expired.
Pursuant to House Resolution 5, the previous question is ordered on
the bill.
The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the bill.
The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was
read the third time.
Motion to Recommit
Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I have a motion to recommit at
the desk.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Clerk will report the motion to
recommit.
The Clerk read as follows:
Ms. Moore of Wisconsin moves to recommit the bill H.R. 30
to the Committee on the Judiciary.
The material previously referred to by Ms. Moore of Wisconsin is as
follows:
Ms. Moore of Wisconsin moves to recommit the bill H.R. 30
to the Committee on the Judiciary with instructions to report
the same back to the House forthwith, with the following
amendment:
Page 3, line 10, insert after ``is inadmissible.'' the
following: ``The Attorney General or Secretary of Homeland
Security shall not be limited by the criminal court record
and may waive the application of clauses (i) and (ii) in the
case of an alien who has been battered or subjected to
extreme cruelty and who is not and was not the primary
perpetrator of violence in the relationship, upon making a
determination described in section 237(a)(7)(A)(i).''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 2(b) of rule XIX, the
previous question is ordered on the motion to recommit.
The question is on the motion to recommit.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the noes appeared to have it.
Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and
nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 9 of rule XX, the Chair
will reduce to 5 minutes the minimum time for any electronic vote on
the question of passage.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 206,
nays 213, not voting 15, as follows:
[Roll No. 16]
YEAS--206
Adams
Aguilar
Amo
Ansari
Auchincloss
Balint
Barragan
Bell
Bera
Beyer
Bishop
Bonamici
Boyle (PA)
Brown
Brownley
Budzinski
Bynum
Carbajal
Carson
Carter (LA)
Casar
Case
Casten
Castor (FL)
Castro (TX)
Cherfilus-McCormick
Chu
Cisneros
Clark (MA)
Clarke (NY)
Cleaver
Clyburn
Cohen
Conaway
Connolly
Correa
Costa
Courtney
Craig
Crockett
Crow
Cuellar
Davids (KS)
Davis (IL)
Davis (NC)
Dean (PA)
DeGette
DeLauro
DelBene
Deluzio
DeSaulnier
Dexter
Dingell
Doggett
Elfreth
Escobar
Espaillat
Evans (PA)
Fields
Figures
Fletcher
Foster
Foushee
Frankel, Lois
Friedman
Frost
Garamendi
Garcia (CA)
Garcia (IL)
Garcia (TX)
Gillen
Golden (ME)
Goldman (NY)
Gomez
Gonzalez, V.
Goodlander
Gottheimer
Gray
Green, Al (TX)
Harder (CA)
Hayes
Himes
Horsford
Houlahan
Hoyer
Hoyle (OR)
Huffman
Ivey
Jackson (IL)
Jacobs
Jayapal
Jeffries
Johnson (GA)
Johnson (TX)
Kamlager-Dove
Kaptur
Keating
Kelly (IL)
Kennedy (NY)
Khanna
Krishnamoorthi
Landsman
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Latimer
Lee (NV)
Lee (PA)
Leger Fernandez
Levin
Liccardo
Lieu
Lofgren
Lynch
Magaziner
Mannion
Matsui
McBath
McBride
McClain Delaney
McClellan
McCollum
McDonald Rivet
McGarvey
McGovern
McIver
Meeks
Menendez
Meng
Mfume
Min
Moore (WI)
Morelle
Morrison
Moskowitz
Mullin
Nadler
Neal
Neguse
Norcross
Ocasio-Cortez
Olszewski
Omar
Pallone
Panetta
Pappas
Perez
Peters
Pingree
Pocan
Pou
Pressley
Ramirez
Randall
Raskin
Riley (NY)
Rivas
Ross
Ruiz
Ryan
Salinas
Sanchez
Scanlon
Schakowsky
Schneider
Scholten
Schrier
Scott (VA)
Scott, David
Sewell
Sherrill
Simon
Smith (WA)
Sorensen
Soto
Stansbury
Stanton
Stevens
Strickland
Subramanyam
Suozzi
Swalwell
Sykes
Takano
Thanedar
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Titus
Tlaib
Tokuda
Tonko
Torres (CA)
Torres (NY)
Trahan
Tran
Turner (TX)
Underwood
Vargas
Vasquez
Veasey
Velazquez
Vindman
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Watson Coleman
Whitesides
Williams (GA)
NAYS--213
Aderholt
Alford
Allen
Amodei (NV)
Arrington
Babin
Bacon
Baird
Balderson
Barr
Barrett
Baumgartner
Bean (FL)
Begich
Bentz
Bergman
Bice
Biggs (AZ)
[[Page H201]]
Biggs (SC)
Bilirakis
Boebert
Bost
Bresnahan
Buchanan
Burchett
Burlison
Calvert
Cammack
Carey
Carter (GA)
Carter (TX)
Ciscomani
Cline
Cloud
Clyde
Cole
Collins
Comer
Crane
Crank
Crawford
Crenshaw
De La Cruz
DesJarlais
Diaz-Balart
Donalds
Downing
Dunn (FL)
Edwards
Ellzey
Emmer
Estes
Evans (CO)
Ezell
Fallon
Fedorchak
Feenstra
Finstad
Fischbach
Fitzgerald
Fitzpatrick
Fleischmann
Flood
Fong
Foxx
Franklin, Scott
Fry
Fulcher
Garbarino
Gill (TX)
Gimenez
Goldman (TX)
Gonzales, Tony
Gooden
Gosar
Graves
Green (TN)
Greene (GA)
Griffith
Grothman
Guest
Guthrie
Hageman
Hamadeh (AZ)
Haridopolos
Harrigan
Harris (MD)
Harris (NC)
Harshbarger
Hern (OK)
Higgins (LA)
Hill (AR)
Hinson
Houchin
Hudson
Huizenga
Hurd (CO)
Issa
Jack
Jackson (TX)
James
Johnson (LA)
Johnson (SD)
Jordan
Joyce (OH)
Joyce (PA)
Kean
Kelly (MS)
Kelly (PA)
Kennedy (UT)
Kiggans (VA)
Kiley (CA)
Kim
Knott
Kustoff
LaHood
LaLota
LaMalfa
Langworthy
Latta
Lawler
Lee (FL)
Letlow
Loudermilk
Lucas
Luna
Luttrell
Mace
Mackenzie
Malliotakis
Maloy
Mann
Massie
Mast
McCaul
McClintock
McCormick
McDowell
McGuire
Messmer
Meuser
Miller (IL)
Miller (OH)
Miller (WV)
Miller-Meeks
Mills
Moolenaar
Moore (AL)
Moore (NC)
Moore (UT)
Moore (WV)
Moran
Murphy
Nehls
Newhouse
Norman
Nunn (IA)
Obernolte
Ogles
Onder
Owens
Palmer
Perry
Pfluger
Reschenthaler
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rose
Rouzer
Roy
Rulli
Rutherford
Salazar
Scalise
Schmidt
Schweikert
Scott, Austin
Self
Sessions
Shreve
Simpson
Smith (MO)
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smucker
Spartz
Stauber
Stefanik
Steil
Steube
Strong
Stutzman
Taylor
Tenney
Thompson (PA)
Tiffany
Timmons
Valadao
Van Drew
Van Duyne
Van Orden
Wagner
Walberg
Weber (TX)
Webster (FL)
Westerman
Wied
Williams (TX)
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Womack
Yakym
Zinke
NOT VOTING--15
Beatty
Brecheen
Davidson
Grijalva
Hunt
McClain
Moulton
Mrvan
Pelosi
Pettersen
Quigley
Sherman
Turner (OH)
Waltz
Wilson (FL)
{time} 1050
Mses. VAN DUYNE, MALOY, Messrs. VAN ORDEN, HUIZENGA, BAUMGARTNER,
WESTERMAN, and GILL of Texas changed their vote from ``yea'' to
``nay.''
So the motion to recommit was rejected.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the passage of the bill.
The question was taken; and the Speaker pro tempore announced that
the ayes appeared to have it.
Mr. RASKIN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. This is a 5-minute vote.
The vote was taken by electronic device, and there were--yeas 274,
nays 145, not voting 15, as follows:
[Roll No. 17]
YEAS--274
Aderholt
Alford
Allen
Amodei (NV)
Arrington
Babin
Bacon
Baird
Balderson
Barr
Barrett
Baumgartner
Bean (FL)
Begich
Bentz
Bergman
Bice
Biggs (AZ)
Biggs (SC)
Bilirakis
Boebert
Bost
Boyle (PA)
Brecheen
Bresnahan
Buchanan
Budzinski
Burchett
Burlison
Bynum
Calvert
Cammack
Carey
Carter (GA)
Carter (TX)
Ciscomani
Cline
Cloud
Clyburn
Clyde
Cole
Collins
Comer
Conaway
Courtney
Craig
Crane
Crank
Crawford
Crenshaw
Cuellar
Davids (KS)
Davis (NC)
De La Cruz
DesJarlais
Donalds
Downing
Dunn (FL)
Edwards
Ellzey
Emmer
Estes
Evans (CO)
Ezell
Fallon
Fedorchak
Feenstra
Figures
Finstad
Fischbach
Fitzgerald
Fitzpatrick
Fleischmann
Flood
Fong
Foxx
Franklin, Scott
Fry
Fulcher
Garbarino
Gill (TX)
Gillen
Gimenez
Golden (ME)
Goldman (TX)
Gonzales, Tony
Gonzalez, V.
Gooden
Goodlander
Gosar
Gottheimer
Graves
Gray
Green (TN)
Greene (GA)
Griffith
Grothman
Guest
Guthrie
Hageman
Hamadeh (AZ)
Harder (CA)
Haridopolos
Harrigan
Harris (MD)
Harris (NC)
Harshbarger
Hayes
Hern (OK)
Higgins (LA)
Hill (AR)
Himes
Hinson
Horsford
Houchin
Houlahan
Hudson
Huizenga
Hurd (CO)
Issa
Jack
Jackson (TX)
James
Johnson (LA)
Johnson (SD)
Johnson (TX)
Jordan
Joyce (OH)
Joyce (PA)
Kaptur
Kean
Kelly (MS)
Kelly (PA)
Kennedy (NY)
Kennedy (UT)
Khanna
Kiggans (VA)
Kiley (CA)
Kim
Knott
Kustoff
LaHood
LaLota
LaMalfa
Landsman
Langworthy
Latta
Lawler
Lee (FL)
Lee (NV)
Letlow
Levin
Loudermilk
Lucas
Luna
Luttrell
Lynch
Mace
Mackenzie
Magaziner
Malliotakis
Maloy
Mann
Mannion
Massie
Mast
McBride
McCaul
McClain Delaney
McClintock
McCormick
McDonald Rivet
McDowell
McGuire
Messmer
Meuser
Miller (IL)
Miller (OH)
Miller (WV)
Miller-Meeks
Mills
Moolenaar
Moore (AL)
Moore (NC)
Moore (UT)
Moore (WV)
Moran
Morrison
Moskowitz
Murphy
Nehls
Newhouse
Norman
Nunn (IA)
Obernolte
Ogles
Onder
Owens
Palmer
Panetta
Pappas
Perez
Perry
Pfluger
Reschenthaler
Riley (NY)
Rogers (AL)
Rogers (KY)
Rose
Rouzer
Roy
Rulli
Rutherford
Ryan
Salazar
Salinas
Scalise
Schmidt
Scholten
Schrier
Schweikert
Scott, Austin
Self
Sessions
Sewell
Sherrill
Shreve
Simpson
Smith (MO)
Smith (NE)
Smith (NJ)
Smucker
Sorensen
Soto
Spartz
Stanton
Stauber
Stefanik
Steil
Steube
Strong
Stutzman
Subramanyam
Suozzi
Swalwell
Sykes
Taylor
Tenney
Thompson (PA)
Tiffany
Timmons
Titus
Torres (NY)
Trahan
Tran
Valadao
Van Drew
Van Duyne
Van Orden
Vasquez
Vindman
Wagner
Walberg
Weber (TX)
Webster (FL)
Westerman
Whitesides
Wied
Williams (TX)
Wilson (SC)
Wittman
Womack
Yakym
Zinke
NAYS--145
Adams
Aguilar
Amo
Ansari
Auchincloss
Balint
Barragan
Bell
Bera
Beyer
Bishop
Bonamici
Brown
Brownley
Carbajal
Carson
Carter (LA)
Casar
Case
Casten
Castor (FL)
Castro (TX)
Cherfilus-McCormick
Chu
Cisneros
Clark (MA)
Clarke (NY)
Cleaver
Cohen
Connolly
Correa
Costa
Crockett
Crow
Davis (IL)
Dean (PA)
DeGette
DeLauro
DelBene
Deluzio
DeSaulnier
Dexter
Dingell
Doggett
Elfreth
Escobar
Espaillat
Evans (PA)
Fields
Fletcher
Foster
Foushee
Frankel, Lois
Friedman
Frost
Garamendi
Garcia (CA)
Garcia (IL)
Garcia (TX)
Goldman (NY)
Gomez
Green, Al (TX)
Hoyer
Hoyle (OR)
Huffman
Ivey
Jackson (IL)
Jacobs
Jayapal
Jeffries
Johnson (GA)
Kamlager-Dove
Keating
Kelly (IL)
Krishnamoorthi
Larsen (WA)
Larson (CT)
Latimer
Lee (PA)
Leger Fernandez
Liccardo
Lieu
Lofgren
Matsui
McBath
McClellan
McCollum
McGarvey
McGovern
McIver
Meeks
Menendez
Meng
Mfume
Min
Moore (WI)
Morelle
Mullin
Nadler
Neal
Neguse
Norcross
Ocasio-Cortez
Olszewski
Omar
Pallone
Peters
Pingree
Pocan
Pou
Pressley
Ramirez
Randall
Raskin
Rivas
Ross
Ruiz
Sanchez
Scanlon
Schakowsky
Schneider
Scott (VA)
Scott, David
Simon
Smith (WA)
Stansbury
Stevens
Strickland
Takano
Thanedar
Thompson (CA)
Thompson (MS)
Tlaib
Tokuda
Tonko
Torres (CA)
Turner (TX)
Underwood
Vargas
Veasey
Velazquez
Wasserman Schultz
Waters
Watson Coleman
Williams (GA)
NOT VOTING--15
Beatty
Davidson
Diaz-Balart
Grijalva
Hunt
McClain
Moulton
Mrvan
Pelosi
Pettersen
Quigley
Sherman
Turner (OH)
Waltz
Wilson (FL)
Announcement by the Speaker Pro Tempore
The SPEAKER pro tempore (during the vote). There are 2 minutes
remaining.
{time} 1100
So the bill was passed.
The result of the vote was announced as above recorded.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
Stated for:
Mr. DIAZ-BALART. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote today as the last
vote timed out. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call
No. 17, H.R. 30; Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens
Act.
Personal Explanation
Mr. SHERMAN. Mr. Speaker, due to the devastating wildfire affecting
my district and Southern California, I was not present for today's
vote. Had I been present, I would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 16,
Motion to Recommit H.R. 30, and NAY on Roll Call No. 17, H.R. 30.
personal explanation
Ms. PETTERSEN. Mr. Speaker, due to travel restrictions related to my
pregnancy, I was unable to travel to DC to vote. Had I been present, I
would have voted YEA on Roll Call No. 16 and NAY on Roll Call No. 17.
[[Page H202]]
personal explanation
Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, I was unable to vote on the House floor
this morning because of a weather-related travel delay. Had I been
present, I would have voted YEA on a Roll Call No. 16 and NAY on Roll
Call No. 17.
personal explanation
Mrs. McCLAIN. Mr. Speaker, due to a death in the family, I needed to
attend the funeral proceedings and was unable to vote on the House
floor. Had I been present, I would have voted NAY on Roll Call No. 16,
Motion to Recommit, and YEA on Roll Call No. 17, Passage of H.R. 30.
____________________