During Sexual Assault Awareness Month, U.S. Representative Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) and U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) are codifying key parts of President Trump’s zero-tolerance border crackdown by introducing new legislation to deport illegal immigrants convicted of sex crimes. The Better Enforcement of Grievous Offenses by unNaturalized Emigrants (BE GONE) Act amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to include sexual assault and aggravated sexual violence as crimes that are defined as "aggravated felonies.”
“I represent the largest border district in the House of Representatives—Eagle Pass, Del Rio, and El Paso are all in my district. We witnessed firsthand the consequences of the Biden administration tying the hands of our Border Patrol Agents and ignoring warnings from law enforcement that illegal aliens with violent criminal charges were entering our country. Thousands of these criminal illegal aliens had a sexual violence charge on their record. If someone is here illegally, especially with a criminal conviction and a history of sexual violence, they must be deported immediately,” said Rep. Tony Gonzales. “The BE GONE Act will give ICE agents and CBP personnel more tools to identify and deport illegal immigrants with sexual violence charges. I look forward to joining forces with my colleagues in the House and Senator Joni Ernst to move this critical legislation across the finish line.”
“President Trump and his team have hit the ground running reversing the damage from the last four years, but we must ensure that every last sexual predator let in by Joe Biden is deported,” said Senator Joni Ernst. “The health and safety of our citizens must always come first, and I am proud to continue working with President Trump to protect the American people. These violent, criminal illegal aliens need to BE GONE!”
"Under the Biden administration’s policies, tens of thousands of criminal aliens were apprehended attempting to enter illegally, with shocking data last year showing that there were at least 16,320 aliens in the U.S. convicted of sexual assault,” said Federation for American Immigration Reform Director of Government Relations Joe Chatham. “Congress must work to ensure that these criminal aliens are quickly removed from our country and this bill will help to accomplish exactly that. FAIR is proud to support the BE GONE Act and protecting American communities from illegal alien crime."
"We are grateful to Senator Ernst and Congressman Gonzales for reintroducing the BE GONE Act which will deport immigrants who have committed heinous acts,” said NumbersUSA Director of Federal Affairs Michael Hough. “This is common sense legislation, following up on the Laken Riley Act, that Congress passed this year to protect Americans from criminal illegal aliens.”
Last year, Rep. Tony Gonzales penned a letter to the Department of Homeland Security requesting information on illegal immigrants on ICE’s docket to better understand how many potential criminals were being released into our communities. Former U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Deputy Director Patrick Lechleiter responded to Rep. Gonzales’ inquiry with data released by ICE showing that tens of thousands of illegal immigrants with sexual assault convictions are in the country.
To read Fox News Digital’s story on the BE GONE Act, click here.