More than 150 Democrats voted against Republican Representative Nancy Mace‘s bill that would ensure undocumented immigrants convicted of sex offenses are deported or deemed inadmissible to the country.
The Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act passed in a 266-158 vote on Wednesday. Every Republican present voted for the bill, as did 51 Democrats, while 158 Democrats voted against it.
The bill would also deport or deem inadmissible to the country undocumented immigrants who have been convicted of, or admit to having committed, sex offenses, domestic violence, stalking, child abuse or violating a protection order.
Representative Nancy Mace speaks with reporters as she departs a House Republican Conference meeting at the U.S. Capitol on September 10 in Washington, D.C. More than 150 House Democrats voted against Mace’s bill that would ensure that undocumented immigrants convicted of sex offenses are deported or deemed inadmissible to the country.
Kent Nishimura/Getty Images
It comes as immigration is among the most important issues on the minds of voters ahead of November’s election, with former President Donald Trump and Republicans repeatedly claiming that President Joe Biden‘s immigration policies have led to a spike in violent crime by people who are in the country illegally. Studies have generally found no link between immigration and violent crime.
Mace told WCIV in Charleston, South Carolina, that the legislation will protect women across the country.
“We are fed up with headlines about women losing their lives or becoming victims of assailants who trespassed into our country illegally under the Biden-Harris border crisis,” Mace said. “This legislation sends a strong message: If you are an illegal who has committed acts of violence against women, you will not find sanctuary here.”
She said those opposing the bill “voted against deporting rapists, pedophiles and murderers of women and kids.”
Opponents of the bill said it was demonizing immigrants.
Representative Pramila Jayapal said the bill would hurt survivors of domestic violence, whom she said are often arrested, charged and convicted along with their abusers.
“Here we are again, debating another partisan bill that fearmongers about immigrants, instead of working together to fix the immigration system,” Jayapal said during a debate on the bill.
“I probably shouldn’t be too surprised. Scapegoating immigrants and attempting to weaponize the crime of domestic violence is appearing to be a time-honored tradition for Republicans.”
The 158 Democrats who voted against the bill are:
- Alma Adams, North Carolina
- Pete Aguilar, California
- Gabe Amo, Rhode Island
- Jake Auchincloss, Massachusetts
- Becca Balint, Vermont
- Nanette Barragán, California
- Joyce Beatty, Ohio
- Ami Bera, California
- Donald Beyer, Virginia
- Sanford D. Bishop Jr., Georgia
- Earl Blumenauer, Oregon
- Suzanne Bonamici, Oregon
- Lisa Blunt Rochester, Delaware
- Jamaal Bowman, New York
- Shontel Brown, Ohio
- Julia Brownley, California
- Cori Bush, Missouri
- Salud Carbajal, California
- Tony Cárdenas, California
- André Carson, Indiana
- Troy Carter, Louisiana
- Greg Casar, Texas
- Ed Case, Hawaii
- Sean Casten, Illinois
- Kathy Castor, Florida
- Joaquin Castro, Texas
- Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Florida
- Judy Chu, California
- Katherine Clark, Massachusetts
- Yvette Clarke, New York
- Emanuel Cleaver, Missouri
- James Clyburn, South Carolina
- Steve Cohen, Tennessee
- Gerald Connolly, Virginia
- Luis Correa, California
- Jim Costa, California
- Jasmine Crockett, Texas
- Jason Crow, Colorado
- Danny Davis, Illinois
- Madeleine Dean, Pennsylvania
- Diana DeGette, Colorado
- Rosa DeLauro, Connecticut
- Suzan DelBene, Washington
- Mark DeSaulnier, California
- Debbie Dingell, Michigan
- Lloyd Doggett, Texas
- Veronica Escobar, Texas
- Anna Eshoo, California
- Adriano Espaillat, New York
- Lizzie Fletcher, Texas
- Bill Foster, Illinois
- Valerie Foushee, North Carolina
- Lois Frankel, Florida
- Maxwell Frost, Florida
- John Garamendi, California
- Jesús “Chuy” Garcia, Illinois
- Robert Garcia, California
- Sylvia Garcia, Texas
- Dan Goldman, New York
- Jimmy Gomez, California
- Al Green, Texas
- James Himes, Connecticut
- Steny Hoyer, Maryland
- Valerie Hoyle, Oregon
- Jared Huffman, California
- Glenn Ivey, Maryland
- Jonathan Jackson, Illinois
- Sara Jacobs, California
- Pramila Jayapal, Washington
- Hakeem Jeffries, New York
- Henry “Hank” Johnson, Georgia
- Sydney Kamlager-Dove, California
- Bill Keating, Massachusetts
- Robin Kelly, Illinois
- Ro Khanna, California
- Dan Kildee, Michigan
- Derek Kilmer, Washington
- Andy Kim, New Jersey
- Raja Krishnamoorthi, Illinois
- Ann Kuster, New Hampshire
- Greg Landsman, Ohio
- Rick Larsen, Washington
- John Larson, Connecticut
- Barbara Lee, California
- Summer Lee, Pennsylvania
- Teresa Leger Fernandez, New Mexico
- Ted Lieu, California
- Zoe Lofgren, California
- Doris Matsui, California
- Lucy McBath, Georgia
- Jennifer McClellan, Virginia
- Betty McCollum, Minnesota
- Morgan McGarvey, Kentucky
- James McGovern, Massachusetts
- Gregory Meeks, New York
- Rob Menendez, New Jersey
- Grace Meng, New York
- Kweisi Mfume, Maryland
- Gwen Moore, Wisconsin
- Joseph Morelle, New York
- Seth Moulton, Massachusetts
- Kevin Mullin, California
- Jerrold Nadler, New York
- Grace Napolitano, California
- Richard Neal, Massachusetts
- Joe Neguse, Colorado
- Donald Norcross, New Jersey
- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, New York
- Ilhan Omar, Minnesota
- Frank Pallone, New Jersey
- Nancy Pelosi, California
- Scott Peters, California
- Brittany Pettersen, Colorado
- Dean Phillips, Minnesota
- Chellie Pingree, Maine
- Mark Pocan, Wisconsin
- Katie Porter, California
- Ayanna Pressley, Massachusetts
- Mike Quigley, Illinois
- Delia Ramirez, Illinois
- Jamie Raskin, Maryland
- Deborah Ross, North Carolina
- Raul Ruiz, California
- C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, Maryland
- Linda Sánchez, California
- John Sarbanes, Maryland
- Mary Scanlon, Pennsylvania
- Janice Schakowsky, Illinois
- Adam Schiff, California
- Bradley Schneider, Illinois
- Robert “Bobby” Scott, Virginia
- David Scott, Georgia
- Terri Sewell, Alabama
- Brad Sherman, California
- Darren Soto, Florida
- Melanie Stansbury, New Mexico
- Haley Stevens, Michigan
- Marilyn Strickland, Washington
- Mark Takano, California
- Shri Thanedar, Michigan
- Mike Thompson, California
- Bennie Thompson, Mississippi
- Rashida Tlaib, Michigan
- Jill Tokuda, Hawaii
- Paul Tonko, New York
- Norma Torres, California
- Ritchie Torres, New York
- Lori Trahan, Massachusetts
- David Trone, Maryland
- Lauren Underwood, Illinois
- Juan Vargas, California
- Marc Veasey, Texas
- Nydia Velázquez, New York
- Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Florida
- Maxine Waters, California
- Bonnie Watson Coleman, New Jersey
- Nikema Williams, Georgia
- Frederica Wilson, Florida.
