Over 140 Democrats opposed a House bill on Thursday that would deport illegal immigrants convicted of sex crimes.
The bill was approved with a vote of 274 to 145, with all Republicans present in support and all opposition coming from Democratic lawmakers.
The legislation was initially introduced by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., during the 118th Congress, but was not taken up by the then-Democrat-controlled Senate. In that instance, 158 Democrats voted against the bill.
“Our nation has been deeply affected by the actions of illegal immigrants… violently committing crimes against American women and girls,” Mace expressed during the bill debate. “I am well aware of the lasting scars these heinous crimes leave behind.”
Elon Musk has notably been a strong advocate for the bill, even calling for lawmakers who opposed it to lose their House seats.
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House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries is among the Democrats who voted against the bill. (Getty Images)
“There is no excuse. Please post the list of people who opposed this law and want to keep illegal immigrants who are convicted sex offenders in America,” Musk wrote on X in response to a conservative influencer discussing the bill. “They all need to be voted out of office. Every one of them.”
In addition to deporting migrants convicted of sex crimes, the legislation would also consider illegal immigrants who confess to domestic violence or sex-related charges — or are convicted of them — to be inadmissible in the U.S.
However, Democrats argued that the bill could harm victims of domestic abuse who defend themselves against their abuser and expands the definition of domestic violence, which could be detrimental to survivors.
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Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., first introduced the bill in the 118th Congress (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Congressional Integrity Project)
During the debate on Thursday morning, progressive Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., mentioned that the bill “does absolutely nothing to address the needs of the American people” and “widens the path to Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans.”
Jayapal stated that it would “create a chilling effect for reporting future crimes” and “empower abusers to go after immigrant women and children.”
Mace expressed on X during the bill debate, “The Left justifying why they are against deporting r*pists, p*deophiles, and m*rderers who are here ILLEGALLY, never ceases to amaze me.”
Elon Musk backed the bill last year (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
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House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., the No. 3 House Republican, also criticized Democrats who voted against the bill.
“House Democrats’ votes against H.R. 30 should be seen for what they are: Prioritizing criminal illegal immigrants over the safety and well-being of their constituents. It’s unconscionable that we have to pass legislation like this, much less have members oppose it,” Emmer told Fox News Digital.
Rep. Randy Feenstra, R-Iowa, one of the Republicans who voted for the bill, argued that the Biden administration’s border policies necessitated the bill and said the legislation would “ensure that any illegal immigrant who commits a sex crime or domestic violence offense is swiftly detained and deported.”
