The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act on Thursday, a Republican-led bill aimed at deporting illegal migrants convicted of sexual offenses or domestic violence. The legislation passed with a vote of 274-145, with less than one-third of House Democrats supporting it.
The bill, introduced by Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina, also includes provisions to bar the entry of immigrants convicted of sex crimes.
“No family should endure the heartbreak the families of Laken Riley, Mollie Tibbetts, Karina Vetrano, and Maddie Hines have experienced. Every woman and every girl deserves to feel safe in their own community,” Mace said after the vote. “The radical left doesn’t agree with this. One hundred and forty-five liberals in Congress love illegal immigrant rapists and murderers. House Republicans united to expand protections for women and put the safety of Americans first.”
Mace emphasized the importance of protecting women and families, stating, “This isn’t complicated — keeping criminal illegal aliens out of our country and off our streets is just common sense. Women should be able to walk down the street without fear, and families should feel safe in their own neighborhoods.”
The bill received significant support from House Republicans, while 145 Democrats opposed it. Democratic critics, including Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, argued that the legislation could inadvertently harm victims of domestic violence who are undocumented or foreign nationals.
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“This is once again a bill that widens the highway to [President] Donald Trump’s mass deportation plans,” Jayapal said during floor debates.
Proponents of the bill, however, dismissed these concerns, focusing instead on the need to ensure public safety and prevent repeat offenses by convicted individuals.
The legislation now heads to the Senate, where Republican Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas has introduced a companion bill as an amendment to the Laken Riley Act, currently under consideration. The act honors Laken Riley, who was murdered by an illegal immigrant with a violent criminal history.
This marks the second time Mace’s bill has passed the House. It was first approved in September 2024 with 266 votes, including 51 Democrats, but stalled in the Senate under then-Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s leadership.
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