Garbarino Introduces The POLICE Act To Hold Migrants Accountable For Violence Against Law Enforcement
WASHINGTON, D.C. —Congressman Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY-02) recently introduced H.R. 6264, the Protect Our Law enforcement with Immigration Control and Enforcement Act of 2021, also known as the POLICE Act of 2021. This bill would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to explicitly state that assaulting a law enforcement officer is a deportable offense.
Original cosponsors of the bill include Representatives Elise Stefanik (R-NY), John Katko (R-NY), Lee Zeldin (R-NY), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Chris Jacobs (R-NY), Claudia Tenney (R-NY), Chris Smith (R-NJ), Jefferson Van Drew (R-NJ), Kat Cammack (R-FL), Carlos Giménez (R-FL), Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Ashley Hinson (R-IA), Michael Guest (R-MS), Randy Weber (R-TX), Dan Bishop (R-NC), and Ted Budd (R-NC).
"As the Biden Border Crisis rages on and illegal aliens continue to be granted access to this country at an alarming rate, I have serious concerns about the ramifications for law enforcement officers who are on the front lines dealing with these migrants," said Rep. Garbarino. "Whether on Long Island or at the southern border, there should be no ambiguity that assaulting a police officer is a deportable offense. I introduced this bill to ensure that we can hold criminals accountable for violence against law enforcement officers who are simply doing their jobs. I am proud to stand with our men and women in blue."
Rep. Garbarino introduced this bill in the wake of reports earlier this month that two law enforcement officers were injured when responding to a disturbance at MercyFirst—the location of about 50 recently transferred undocumented minors on Long Island, NY. One officer suffered a concussion and the other had a broken hand.
Previously, Rep. Garbarino called on the Biden Administration to provide answers about the undocumented migrants who had been relocated to New York, a portion of which were placed at MercyFirst, and later introduced legislation to that effect. Following the assault on local law enforcement, Rep. Garbarino chastised the Administration for its lack of response and reiterated his demand for transparency.
"Our law enforcement officers put their lives on the line daily to keep our communities safe," Rep. Stefanik said. "The Biden Administration’s open-border policies have incentivized illegal immigration, making our communities less safe and placing a greater burden on our officers working to uphold the law. Illegal immigrants must be held accountable for violent actions against law enforcement, which is why I am proud to support this legislation to make it a deportable offense to assault a law enforcement officer."
"After holding a series of law enforcement roundtables in major cities across the country and speaking with law enforcement leaders, I continue to hear how the crisis at the southern border is fueling the crime crisis in states and cities not traditionally considered border communities," said Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member John Katko. "The Biden Border Crisis continues to prop up drug and gang activity in American communities. As illicit drugs pour across the border, violent cartel and gang activity is re-emerging in neighborhoods and schools. As a former federal organized crime prosecutor, I’m incredibly proud of the work our law enforcement officers do under increasingly challenging circumstances. I am pleased to join Rep. Garbarino in this important effort and thank him for his leadership."
"As violent crime continues rising throughout much of New York and the nation, it is as important as ever that we support our law enforcement officers more, not less, and do everything we can to ensure their safety, so that they can keep our communities safe," said Rep. Zeldin. "I’m grateful to Congressman Garbarino for leading this effort to crack down on acts of violence against our men and women in Blue."
"I’m proud to join Rep. Garbarino in cosponsoring the POLICE Act. This legislation protects our brave law enforcement officers and improves our border security by increasing penalties for illegal immigrants who assault officers," Rep. Jacobs said. "President Biden's border crisis has created numerous criminal problems that threaten our nation's security. His continued avoidance of this crisis is unacceptable. We are a nation of laws – they must be followed and we must stand with those who keep our communities safe."
"The Biden Administration is putting our law enforcement officers and every American citizen at risk by failing to secure our border and releasing thousands of illegal immigrants, smugglers and convicted felons into communities throughout our nation in the dead of night," said Rep. Malliotakis. "I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing legislation that holds violent illegal immigrants accountable by requiring that the Immigration and Nationality Act explicitly state that assaulting a law enforcement officer is a deportable offense."
"Under President Biden’s watch, over one million illegal immigrants have entered the country in 2021," said Rep. Tenney. "Many of these individuals have been secretly resettled across the country, including to neighborhoods in New York State. Recently, in NYC, two police officers were assaulted by illegal immigrants when responding to a disturbance call. This should have never happened and it’s why the POLICE Act is so needed. This bill increases the penalties for illegal immigrants who break our laws and ensures that members of our law enforcement community are protected when fulfilling their duties. I’m honored to partner with Congressman Garbarino on this bill and to stand with our men and women in blue."
"The chaos at our southern border opens the door to human traffickers, gang members and other dangerous criminals who enter our country with malicious intentions, threatening the safety of police officers serving as our first line of defense against crime," said Rep. Smith. "We must provide the courageous men and women in law enforcement who put their lives on the line each and every day—and who are facing unprecedented threats and increasingly hostile working conditions—with the protections they need to keep our communities and families safe."
"The recent assaults on law enforcement are just one of the many negative consequences of President Biden’s worsening border crisis," said Rep. Van Drew. "It is imperative that we secure our borders and pass the POLICE Act to ensure the safety and security of our brave law enforcement officers and all Americans. Law-breaking illegal immigrants must be held accountable for their violent actions and I am proud to co-sponsor this critical piece of legislation."
"I am proud to support the POLICE Act, which would make assaulting a law enforcement officer a deportable offense. I want to thank my friend Rep. Garbarino for introducing this bill to provide this much-needed update to our immigration laws," said Rep. Cammack.
"Our law enforcement officers need our support, now more than ever," said Rep. Miller-Meeks. "Whether the Administration admits it or not, there is a crisis at our southern border and Americans are less safe because of it. While apprehensions are up, we have no idea how many individuals are evading border agents and making it into the interior of the United States. Making violence against law enforcement officers a deportable offense is a commonsense proposal that I am proud to support. The POLICE Act will help hold criminals accountable and keep our officers safe. Thank you to Congressman Garbarino for his leadership on this issue, I look forward to working with my colleagues to always support our heroic law enforcement officers."
"A basic goal of our immigration system is screening and barring those individuals who could pose a threat to American citizens. Assaulting a law enforcement official is a violent offense and should be at the top of the list of offenses that prevents an individual from entering the greatest nation in history," Rep. Guest said. "If we hope to remain a great country, we must ensure that those who enter our country, at the very least, respect the rule of law and the officers who uphold it."
"Under the Biden Administration’s open border policies, hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants are trying to cross our border every month, including many with criminal records," said Rep. Hinson. "This has made every single American less secure, and police officers across the country are on the frontlines of keeping us safe. Those coming to our country need to respect our laws and law enforcement, and violence against police officers should be a deportable offense. I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing the POLICE Act to ensure those who are violent toward U.S. law enforcement officers are not able to stay in this country and continue to pose a safety threat to our communities."
"Supporting our police includes removing dangerous people who do them harm. If an illegal immigrant commits the crime of assaulting an officer, they should be subject to immediate deportation," said Rep. Budd. "Our lawmakers must always back the men and women who protect and serve our communities. I’d like to thank Rep. Garbarino for leading this important bill."
"I am proud to lend my support to the POLICE Act," said Rep. Bishop. "This legislation makes explicit that assaulting a police officer is a deportable offense. Our men and women in uniform should not have to pay the consequences of Biden’s disastrous open border policies."
The text of the bill can be viewed here.
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