OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
The GOP-controlled House passed a measure that would require the federal government to deport any illegal immigrant who assaults a police officer over the objections of a majority of Democrats.
This is one of several bills that House Republican leaders are bringing to a vote this week in observance of National Police Week. The legislation passed with a vote of 265 to 148, with 54 Democrats siding with the GOP.
The Detain and Deport Illegal Aliens Who Assault Cops Act is the name of the legislation, which Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., is leading. In February, when the measure was introduced, he said: “There is no reason that an illegal alien who attacks our law enforcement should remain in our country; that shows zero respect for our rule of law or our institutions, and they will not be positive contributors to society.”
The bill mandates that federal authorities hold illegal immigrants in custody until deportation. It also establishes a new category of migrant inadmissibility, specifically targeting illegal immigrants accused of assaulting police, according to Van Drew.
After the bill passed, Rep. Tom Emmer, the House Majority Whip and No. 3 Republican, said, “House Democrats just voted to protect violent, illegal immigrants over our brave law enforcement officers. Once again, the Democrat Party proves they are the most anti-law enforcement party in history.”
The proposal follows a series of recent incidents where illegal immigrants assaulting police have garnered national attention, highlighting the ongoing challenges posed by the illegal immigration crisis at the southern border under Joe Biden’s immigration policies.
In late January, a video captured a group of illegal immigrants violently attacking two New York City police officers in Times Square. Additionally, in early March, a man who entered the U.S. illegally was accused of fatally striking a Washington State Patrol trooper with his vehicle on an interstate highway, as reported by Fox 13.
Millions of people have been allowed into the country under Biden’s watch after he reversed nearly all of former President Donald Trump’s strict immigration and border enforcement policies on his first day in office. Since then, the issue of immigration has skyrocketed to the top of the list of concerns for voters heading into the 2024 elections, along with the economy.
According to the ABC/Ipsos poll conducted between March 8 and 9 of 539 adults, 36 percent of respondents said that they trusted Trump, compared to 33 percent who said they trusted Biden.
Trump received higher ratings than President Biden on all issues except abortion and climate change when respondents were asked about their opinions on the job performance of both presidents, The Post Millennial reported, citing the survey.
Trump garnered a 49 percent favorable rating on the economy, contrasting with Biden’s 37 percent. Regarding inflation, 45 percent approved of Donald Trump, compared to 31 percent for Biden. Regarding crime, Trump was viewed more favorably at 41 percent compared to Biden’s 35 percent. Similarly, on immigration, the former president received a 45 percent favorable rating, while Biden trailed with 29 percent.
“Significantly more Americans name immigration as the most important problem facing the U.S. (28%) than did a month ago (20%). Immigration has now passed the government as the most often cited problem, after the two issues tied for the top position for the past two months. The government ranked first each month from January through November 2023,” the Gallup polling firm noted in a report published in February.
According to the most recent poll, 20% of Americans cite the government as their biggest issue, with the economy (12%) and inflation (11%) following closely behind. Immigration is the only issue that has shown meaningful change in the past month,” Gallup noted further.
The issue was of paramount concern for Americans during Trump’s administration too, especially after he was forced to deal with a surge of illegal crossings in 2018 while fighting a GOP-led Congress to get funding for his promised border wall.
