SE North Carolina News

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Senator Ted Budd (R-NC) collaborated with Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) to introduce the Protect Our Communities From DUIs Act, a bill aimed at deporting illegal immigrants convicted of driving under the influence (DUI) within the United States.

The legislation, which is supported by a group of Republican senators including Marsha Blackburn, Katie Britt, Shelley Moore Capito, Tom Cotton, Kevin Cramer, Deb Fisher, James Lankford, Mike Lee, Marco Rubio, and Thom Tillis, seeks to address the issue of DUI offenses committed by illegal immigrants. Currently, DUIs are not grounds for automatic deportation.

In a statement, Senator Budd emphasized the importance of the bill in safeguarding communities, stating, “Supporting law and order includes keeping dangerous individuals who harm our citizens out of our communities. No illegal alien who drives under the influence of drugs or alcohol should be admitted to the U.S., and must be deported if that person is already in the U.S. That’s a commonsense step we can take to keep our communities safe.”

Senator Hagerty echoed similar sentiments, highlighting the need to hold illegal immigrants accountable for their actions. He stated, “Our nation is seeing a surge in violent crimes committed by illegal immigrants, and they are not being held accountable. It is unconscionable that illegal immigrants that break our laws and endanger our communities are allowed to remain in the U.S. President Biden and Democrats’ willingness to pursue far-left immigration policies at the expense of Americans’ safety must end, and I’m pleased to introduce this commonsense legislation that would strengthen our ability to hold illegal immigrants accountable and protect our citizens.”

The House of Representatives has already passed the companion legislation with bipartisan support, indicating a growing momentum behind efforts to address the issue of illegal immigrants committing DUI offenses in the country.