Congress and Immigration Policy

Sen. John Cornyn and a group of mostly Republican senators introduced the Stop Illegal Aliens Drunk Driving Act, which would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act so that any DUI or DWI conviction by a noncitizen that causes death or serious bodily injury is treated as an aggravated felony, mandating deportation, permanent inadmissibility and ineligibility for most immigration relief. The proposal, backed by at least 10 GOP senators and Democrat Ruben Gallego, applies regardless of whether the underlying offense is a misdemeanor or felony and is justified by supporters using DHS data showing 15 deaths tied to such incidents over the past decade and cases of repeat DWI offenders who reentered after prior removals.