Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act

Mr. Speaker, here we are, once again, with my Republican colleagues bringing a bill to the floor that does absolutely nothing to address the needs of the American people.

My Republican colleagues made lots of campaign promises to lower costs for everyday Americans, but not a single bill so far has done anything like that. Instead, this week appears to be a week where they say they are protecting women, yet their actions tell a different story.

Today, we are discussing a bill that takes the Violence Against Women Act, a bill meant to protect victims of domestic violence, and weaponizes it against domestic violence victims.

Mr. Speaker, that is exactly why 200 local and national advocacy organizations for survivors of domestic violence from across the country with deep expertise in this area have come out so strongly to oppose this bill.

I am talking about the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, the National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, the National Network to End Domestic Violence, the Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence, and groups that serve domestic violence survivors in more than 40 States across the country.

Let me be very clear once again. Under our current laws, those who are convicted or admit to domestic violence or crimes listed in this bill are already deportable and inadmissible to the country. There is actually no gap in the law that needs to be fixed.

Instead, in a perverse move, this bill would make it easier to label survivors of domestic violence as perpetrators to make them removable from the country and eliminate existing legal safeguards that protect survivors. Once again, this is a bill that widens the highway to Donald Trump's mass deportation plans.

I want to talk through an example. The police show up to a domestic violence call. The victim was attacked by her abuser, and she fought back in self-defense. Maybe the abuser has some scratches on his face.

It is common practice for the police to arrest both parties in that situation when responding to a domestic violence incident. The police write a report, describing how the victim hit her abuser in self- defense.

Under this bill, that is an admission constituting the elements of domestic violence, and this woman is now inadmissible and subject to deportation. Even if she is never charged, even if a judge later rules that she did not commit any crime, that so-called admission in the police report that she responded in self-defense to hit her abuser is enough to make her inadmissible under this bill.

Again, that is why more than 200 advocacy organizations for domestic violence survivors, deeply ensconced in the material of what happens every day across the country far too often, are all deeply opposed to this legislation. They know that this expansive bill that eliminates the existing safeguards for domestic violence survivors will harm those exact survivors and create a chilling effect for reporting future crimes, empowering abusers to go after immigrant women and children.

Right now we are only talking about immigrant survivors. Is this bill the start of a dangerous road, watering down protections for all victims of domestic violence across the country? Who is next?

The Violence Against Women Act is a landmark piece of legislation, a testament to a time when Democrats and Republicans could actually come together and legislate on issues of fundamental importance to this Nation, despite our differences.

The initial iteration of VAWA passed the House by voice vote. Can you imagine that? It passed by voice vote. It reshaped how we as a country talk about gender-based violence and how we treat survivors.

The Violence Against Women Act recognized that we cannot be serious about eliminating violence against women if we are not equally serious about eradicating violence against everyone, regardless of immigration status.

There are so many reasons why individuals in domestic violence situations are unjustly forced into the criminal legal system. We have seen the data. Too often survivors are arrested alongside their abuser, and they are charged and even convicted of crimes involving violence which later prove to be in self-defense or unjustly charged. This bill makes it more likely that we harm the very people we want to protect.

Mr. Speaker, here is the cruel irony. In the same week that Republicans are putting forth the nomination of a Secretary of Defense who won't even say that sexual assault is disqualifying, Republicans want to fool you into thinking that they care about domestic violence and sexual assault survivors.

I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Despite VAWA's bipartisan history, we now have to fight tooth and nail to reauthorize it. It was Republicans who let the Violence Against Women Act languish and expire for 3 years. The leader of the Republican Party is once again a man who was found liable for sexual misconduct and bragged about grabbing and forcibly kissing women without their consent.

Last year, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of VAWA's enactment. Today, we have to watch our colleagues across the aisle make another cheap attempt to divide us and play gotcha politics. We should work together to eradicate domestic violence.

My bill, the WISE Act, would strengthen protections for survivors. I wish we could do that here and not this harmful, misleading bill. I urge my colleagues to oppose it.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record a letter from over 200 local and national domestic violence organizations who oppose this bill.

National Task Force To End Sexual & Domestic Violence

January 13, 2025.

Honorable Members of the House, The undersigned groups that

serve and advocate on behalf of victims of domestic violence,

sexual assault, dating violence, stalking, and human

trafficking, write to voice our opposition to HR 30.

We oppose this legislation as it would expand the

circumstances under which domestic violence, child abuse and

neglect, stalking, and sex offenses would constitute grounds

of inadmissibility, as well as expand the definition of

domestic violence to be considered for inadmissibility or

deportability grounds. These measures would negatively impact

immigrant survivors of domestic and sexual violence, and fail

to alleviate the primary barriers to safety and stability

experienced by survivors seeking relief under the Immigration

and Nationality Act.

We are especially troubled that this legislation fails to

include waivers that take into

account the needs of the victim or their family, and that it

will limit the discretion that judges can exercise where the

equities warrant, including situations where survivors who

are inadvertently caught up in the criminal legal system will

be harmed.

Unfortunately, immigrant victims are particularly

vulnerable to being arrested and prosecuted for domestic

violence if they acted in self-defense or are accused by an

abuser of being a primary aggressor. A well-known tactic of

abusers to maintain power and control over their victims is

to report (and threaten to report) their partner to

authorities, including local law enforcement, child

protective services, ICE, and others--falsely claiming that

their partner (the victim of their violence) is the one who

is violent, neglectful, etc. These false reports (and the

threats of them) are too often highly effective at keeping

victims trapped in violent relationships.

Moreover, we know that parents of color are

disproportionately accused of child abuse offenses, including

abandonment and neglect. Domestic violence survivors are not

infrequently charged with child neglect for having ``failed

to protect'' their children from witnessing or exposure to an

adult's violence committed against the non-abusive parent,

resulting in doubly penalizing the survivor and the children

for violence committed by someone else. This legislation

creates grounds of inadmissibility for these offenses without

requiring a conviction, in circumstances where an individual

admits that they committed acts that would constitute a

crime.

Language and cultural barriers, fear of the abuser and the

authorities, confusion, intimidation, a lack of awareness of

rights, and a lack of access to advocates and other

resources, all may prevent an immigrant victim from being

able to communicate what really happened. Once in custody

and/or facing trial, and desperate to be released and

reunited with their children, these same factors--combined

with poor legal counsel, particularly about the immigration

consequences of criminal pleas and convictions--could lead to

ineligibility for status, or the deportation of wrongly

accused victims who may have pled to or been unfairly

convicted of domestic violence charges.

The legislation's expansion of the definition of domestic

violence, which was expressly included in the Violence

Against Women Act to allow for the provision of a greater

array of victim services, to include circumstances that may

not involve violence, physical force, or threats of such is

also likely to sweep more survivors into the scope of the

ground of inadmissibility or deportability. This will result

in more victims being deported and/or bar them from obtaining

lawful status. In so doing, it invites additional scrutiny of

survivors during the course of their efforts to obtain

immigration protections and safety from violence.

Furthermore, expanding the grounds of inadmissibility or

ineligibility for status with no waivers would increase the

risk that victims will decline to seek assistance from law

enforcement or services if they fear that it will result in a

family member being barred from legal status. When creating

penalties, balance is key. Deterrence is critically important

but will be ineffective if consequences are so severe that

survivors will not come forward.

Although we are grateful for the efforts of lawmakers to

seek to address the impact of domestic violence, sexual

assault, dating violence, and stalking, we believe the best

way to do so is by expanding accessibility of survivor-based

immigration relief and related benefits to noncitizen

survivors, and by eliminating the cap on visas available to

petitioners for U and T nonimmigrant visas and the number of

cases eligible for final adjudications of VAWA Cancellation

of Removal. Rather than rushing to enact additional

immigration pe4alties that could cause harm to survivors, we

urge Congressional representatives to consult with service

providers and survivors themselves to develop legislation

that is responsive to their experiences and needs.

As a diverse coalition of organizations serving and

advocating on behalf of victims of domestic violence, sexual

assault, dating violence, and stalking, we thank you for

paying vigilant attention to how this bill, by expanding the

ways in which domestic violence arrests cad prevent people

from accessing or maintaining legal status, can ultimately

have devastating consequences for immigrant victims of

domestic violence.

Sincerely,

National Organizations

Asian Pacific Institute on Gender-Based Violence, ASISTA

Immigration Assistance, Esperanza United, Tahirih Justice

Center, AF31RM, Alliance of Tribal Coalitions to End

Violence, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC),

Americans for Immigrant Justice, American Muslim Health

Professionals, Autistic Self Advocacy, Black Women's

Blueprint, BWJP, Caminar Latino-Latinos United for Peace and

Equity, Caring Across Generations, Center for Constitutional

Rights, Center for Gender & Refugee Studies, Coalition for

Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA), Center for Popular

Democracy, Coalition on Human Needs, Coalition of Labor Union

Women, AFL-CIO, Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the

Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces, Freedom Network USA, Futures

Without Violence, Gender-Based Violence Consulting, Human

Trafficking Legal Center, IAmProSe, Immigrant Legal Resource

Center, Japanese American Citizens League, Jewish Women

International, Joyful Heart Foundation, Just Solutions,

Justice in Aging, Justice and Joy National Collaborative

(formerly National Crittenton).

Justice for Migrant Women, Legal Momentum, Lovelace

Consulting, Mujeres Latinas en Accion, National Advocacy

Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, Nationat Alliance

to End Sexual Violence, National Association of Social

Workers, National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and

Mental Health, National Council of Jewish Women, National

Employment Law Project, National Indigenous Women's Resource

Center, National LGBTQ Institute on Intimate Partner

Violence, National Network to End Domestic Violence, National

Resource Center on Domestic Violence, National Survivor

Network, National Women's Law Center, Planned Parenthood

Federation of America, Public Advocacy for Kids (PAK),

Reframe Health and Justice, Refugees International, Respect

Together, Safe Havens Interfaith Partnership Against Domestic

Violence and Elder Abuse, SAGE Empowerment, Sahiyo U.S.,

Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Justice Team, South Asian

SOAR, The National Domestic Violence Hotline, UltraViolet

Action, VALOR, Youth First Justice Collaborative, YWCA USA.

State, Territorial, and Local

Alabama:

AshaKiran.

Arizona:

Arizona Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence,

William E. Morris Institute for Justice.

Arkansas:

Arkansas Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

California:

California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, Coalition

to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking, Al Otro Lado, Asian Law

Alliance, Community Solutions, Empower Yolo, Haus of a

Stranger, Healthy Alternatives to Violent Environments,

Immigration Center for Women and Children, Justice At Last,

Los Angeles LGBT Center, Maitri, North Coast Rape Crisis

Team, Peace Over Violence, Project Sister Family Services,

Rape Counseling Services of Fresno, Reach the Valley (REACH),

Verity, Wild Iris Family Counseling and Crisis Center, YWCA

Golden Gate Silicon Valley.

Colorado:

Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Violence Free

Colorado, American Friends Service Committee, Colorado

Companeros: Four Corners Immigrant Resource Center, Colorado

Immigrant Rights Coalition, El Corazon LLC, Swan Counseling

Services, Denver Justice and Peace Committee.

Connecticut:

Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Delaware:

Delaware Coalition Against Domestic Violence (DCADV).

District of Columbia:

DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Asian Pacific

American Legal Resource Center, Bend the Arc: Jewish Action,

The Person Center.

Florida:

Florida Legal Services, Inc.

Georgia:

Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Clayton County

Association Against Family Violence, Inc., Columbus Alliance

for Battered Women, Inc. d/b/a Hope Harbour, International

Women's House, Northwest Georgia Family Crisis Center, Inc.,

Raksha, Inc.

Hawaii:

Domestic Violence Action Center, Maui Economic Opportunity,

Inc.

Idaho:

Idaho Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence.

Illinois:

Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Illinois

Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Illinois Accountability

Initiative, Illinois Alliance for Reentry and Justice, Arab

American Family Services, Legal Aid Society of Metropolitan

Family Services, The Porchlight Collective SAP.

Indiana:

Indiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Inc., Indiana

Coalition to End Sexual Assault and Human Trafficking

(ICESAHT), Family Service Association, ASSIST Indiana, Inc.,

The Caring Place, Sheltering Wings, The Center for Women and

Families, Inc., The Stepping Stone Shelter.

Iowa:

Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence, EMBARC Iowa.

Kansas:

Kansas Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence.

Kentucky:

Kentucky Association of Sexual Assault Programs, ZeroV.

Louisiana:

Louisiana Foundation Against Sexual Assault.

Maine:

Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, Maine Coalition

Against Sexual Assault, Preble Street.

Maryland:

Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Network Against

Domestic Violence, The Human Trafficking Prevention Project,

University of Maryland SAFE Center.

Massachusetts:

Jane Doe Inc.

Michigan:

Michigan Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence,

SafeHouse Center.

Minnesota:

Violence Free Minnesota, Transforming Generations.

Mississippi:

Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Montana:

Montana Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.

Nebraska:

Nebraska Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence,

Catholic Charities of Omaha, Parent-Child Center, Rape and

Domestic Abuse Program, Willow Rising.

Nevada:

Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence,

Immigration Center for Women and Children--Nevada Office.

New Jersey:

New Jersey Coalition to End Domestic Violence.

New Mexico:

Tewa Women United.

New York:

New York State Coalition Against Domestic Violence,

Brooklyn Defender Services, Co-Counsel NYC, Catholic

Migration Services, Jahajee Sisters, Her Justice, Inc.,

Hope's Door, Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation, Safe

Horizon Immigration Law Project, The Legal Aid Society,

Turning Point for Women & Families, urban justice center |

domestic violence project, Violence Intervention Program,

Womankind.

North Carolina:

North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence, NC

Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Family Abuse Services,

Families First, Inc., Friend to Friend, Kearah's Place Inc.,

Our Voice, Ruth's House, Safelight Inc., Shining Light in

Darkness, UCare, Inc.

Ohio:

Ohio Alliance To End Sexual Violence, Ohio Domestic

Violence Network, Advocating Opportunity.

Oregon:

Oregon Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.

Pennsylvania:

Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence,

Pennsylvania Immigration Resource Center, Pennsylvania

Coalition to Advance Respect, Citizens Against Physical,

Sexual, and Emotional Abuse, Inc. (CAPSEA, Inc.), Congreso de

Latinos Unidos, Domestic Violence Services of Southwestern

Pennsylvania, Family Services Incorporated, Laurel House,

Lutheran Settlement House, SEAMAAC, Inc., Safe Monroe,

Turning Point of Lehigh Valley, Inc., Victims Resource

Center, Women's Center of Greater Pittsburgh, Women In

Transition, The Women's Center, Inc., WRC.

Puerto Rico:

Casa Juana Colon, Centro de la Mujer Dominicana, Inc.

Rhode Island:

Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

South Carolina:

South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Assault.

Tennessee:

Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence.

Texas:

Daya Inc., Houston Immigration Legal Services

Collaborative, Mosaic Family Services.

Utah:

Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Utah Domestic

Violence Coalition.

Vermont:

Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence,

AWARE, Inc., Mosaic Vermont, NewStory Center, Safeline, Inc.

Virginia:

Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance,

Ayuda.

Washington:

WA State Coalition Against Domestic Violence, API Chaya,

Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, YWCA of Walla Walla.

West Virginia:

West Virginia Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Wisconsin:

End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin, Wisconsin Coalition Against

Sexual Assault, ASTOP, Inc. Sexual Abuse Center, BeLEAF

Survivors, Benedict Center, Deaf Unity, FREE, Freedom, Inc.,

FRIENDS, Inc., Embrace Services, Inc., Reach Counseling,

Roots4Change Cooperative, UNIDOS Against Domestic

ViolenceStepping Stones, Inc., We All Rise AARC.

Wyoming:

Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual

Assault.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I am delighted to be here with you and with the gentlewoman from Florida.

Mr. Speaker, America's immigration laws are like an admissions policy for the country: How do you get into America, who gets kicked out of America, and for what reasons. Our immigration laws today will get you kicked out, deported from the country if you commit rape, other sex offenses, domestic violence, or, indeed, any other crime of violence. That is the law today. You are convicted, you are deported, you are out. That has been the law for decades in America.

Our immigration law establishes a similar policy on the way in. It provides that anyone seeking admission to America who has committed a violent sex offense or a crime of domestic violence is inadmissible to our country.

Since the 1930s, case law has made it perfectly clear that rape, domestic violence, and sexual battery are all ``crimes involving moral turpitude,'' which make the perpetrator inadmissible to America. That has been the law in our country for decades.

What does H.R. 30 add? If committing a sexual assault or domestic violence will already render you deportable and inadmissible under our laws, why do we need to create another section of the law doing the same thing? Is it necessary, or is it redundant?

Of course, its being redundant or unnecessary may not be a sufficient reason to vote against the bill. After all, I cheerfully admit that this body, under the stewardship of our friends, passes a lot of unnecessary and redundant legislation in the House just to send a message, as they say. Perhaps this is what our friends set out to do today, to pass another simple messaging bill.

The complication today is this: The way this messaging bill is actually written will create big problems for many, many victims of domestic violence. That is why more than 200 national, State, and local groups advocating for the victims of rape and the survivors of domestic violence, the people across America we should be listening to today, strongly oppose the bill our colleagues have brought forward.

The National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence sent us a letter urging us to reject H.R. 30. I urge every single Member of Congress to read this letter carefully before you vote on this bill.

The groups fighting domestic violence warn that this legislation ``can ultimately have devastating consequences for immigrant victims of domestic violence.''

The signers of this letter include a range of national groups like the YWCA, National Council of Jewish Women, AFL-CIO, Coalition of Labor Union Women, and dozens of State and local groups, like the California Partnership to End Domestic Violence, Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Maryland Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Catholic Charities in Omaha, Nebraska, and dozens and dozens more from States across the country. Please read this letter.

These are groups working to change the law and culture to stop rape and domestic violence in our country, but they see that this poorly drafted legislation would end up harming untold numbers of victims of domestic violence themselves, the putative beneficiaries of the act.

Here is why: When it comes to crimes involving moral turpitude, there are exceptions in the law to protect domestic violence victims who often get swept up in the very laws designed to protect them.

Anyone who has ever been a prosecutor or a public defender in this Chamber knows that it is common for abusers to accuse their victims of domestic violence themselves and assault, sometimes truthfully, often falsely. In any event, it is well known that the victims get arrested, prosecuted, and sometimes even convicted simply for defending themselves and fighting back against their abusers and rapists.

Here is a real-life example drawn from the domestic violence survivor advocacy groups opposing their legislation. A young woman on a student visa here was trapped in an abusive relationship, and her estranged boyfriend tried to rape her. She fought back, biting his ear and drawing blood.

She then called the police to report the rape, but upon seeing the boyfriend's injury, the officers also arrested the female victim, whose language skills kept her from comprehensively explaining what had happened at that point. She spent several days in jail and was ultimately convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence, but the judge sentenced her to time served once she got a lawyer and translation services, which allowed the context of the violent abuse that she had been enduring to become made plain to the police and the court.

Because of exceptions that exist in our laws today, this woman was not deemed inadmissible to America because her simple assault charge carried less than a 6-month penalty. Under the new bill, which would establish inadmissibility without any waivers or exceptions at all for victims, she would clearly have to be deemed inadmissible to America. No exceptions would exist any longer for domestic violence victims who have committed minor crimes in the context of resisting their violent abuse.

This means that the victim in this case, who is legally in the United States on a student visa while she attends college, would be barred permanently from obtaining a green card or any new immigration status simply because she was a victim of an attempted rape who fought back against her attacker. With no ability ever to adjust her status under the law, she would be deported and kicked out of our country permanently.

Some might say that this is the price she should rightly pay for biting or hitting back at her violent abuser, but do we really want to say that we would not want our daughters, sisters, or mothers to do the same in that situation?

Should we really compound the horrors of domestic violence and assaults with a harsh immigration penalty on victims? Do we want to give domestic abusers more power over their victims by giving them more opportunities to file charges, true or false, against their victims to keep them from reporting their abuse to authorities?

It seems we live in a time, Mr. Speaker, when it is very easy to forgive sexual abusers, assailants, rapists, and sexual harassers who have a lot of power and wealth in society but very hard to forgive their victims for fighting back.

Look what is going on across the hallway. Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth has been credibly accused of sexually assaulting a woman at a conference in 2017 and entered into a major private financial settlement over the charges, and there are people planning to vote for this legislation today who also support his nomination.

Education Secretary nominee Linda McMahon and her husband were recently sued for failing to act on credible allegations of sexual abuse within the World Wrestling Entertainment organization.

Finally, of course, the President-elect's initial pick for Attorney General, Matt Gaetz, faces numerous allegations of sex trafficking a minor and statutory rape.

There are civil adjudications of sexual abuse going to the very top of the new administration. The law, as it stands today and as we have had it for decades, provides for waivers to protect the immigration status of victims of domestic violence who are charged with fighting back against their abuser.

While the proposed bill would retain waivers for victims in the deportability context, it would not allow for waivers or exceptions in the inadmissibility context. I don't know why this asymmetry and discordance were written into this legislation, whether it was deliberate or just accidental, but the upshot is that the entire national movement working to arrest and reduce domestic violence in America is now opposing this bill that claims to be in support of the victims of domestic violence.

We note another serious problem with the bill, which makes it backfire again against victims. It would significantly expand the definition of ``domestic violence'' to include the statutory Violence Against Women Act definition that is used for the civil context of grants and funding. This much broader definition was never designed to be used in criminal law. In fact, the definition explicitly says that it covers conduct ``that may or may not constitute criminal behavior.''

The definition of domestic violence under existing Federal criminal law, which is currently also used in immigration law, focuses on the element, Mr. Speaker, of physical force, but the broader VAWA-based definition appropriately fitted for grant and funding purposes sweeps in a broad range of behaviors, including verbal, psychological, economic, or technological abuse.

Once again, in the inadmissibility context, this transposition can have severe consequences. Imagine a domestic violence victim covered by DACA who flees her abuser and removes half of the money from their joint bank account, enough to get a train or bus ticket to get away. Imagine the abuser calls the police and claims that she stole money from him and committed a theft. By merely admitting to the fact that she took funds out of their bank account, the victim could end up being deemed inadmissible and then removed from America.

Remember, the new inadmissibility grounds created by this bill do not require a conviction but a mere admission of the underlying facts.

The point is clear: If our goal is to prevent violence against women by illegal aliens, as the bill's title says, our current criminal and immigration laws already do that. We have strict punishments in place for anyone who commits such crimes, including deportation and inadmissibility for foreign nationals.

This bill would only make the immigration laws much harsher on the victims of domestic violence, sexual battery, and rape, which is the opposite of what we should be doing.

America, when it lives up to its ideals, as Tom Paine said, will become an asylum to humanity, not an insane asylum, mind you, but a place of refuge for people seeking freedom from religious, political, and economic oppression, and also, I might add, the kind of private gender violence that creates oppression and tyranny in the home.

Two centuries later, Ronald Reagan echoed the sentiment, reminding us that America was a ``shining city upon a hill,'' a refuge ``for all the Pilgrims from all the lost places who are hurtling through the darkness, toward home.''

Last year, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act, and we must continue our work to oppose the tyranny of domestic violence over women in our country, but this legislation would set back our efforts to protect survivors and to stop abuse.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the majority to reconsider this legislation and for my colleagues to join us in opposing it.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Washington (Ms. Jayapal).

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Washington.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I wonder if our colleagues could explain why more than 200 groups advocating for women's rights and women's security are opposing this legislation?

Can they explain why the groups that are on the front lines of opposing domestic violence reject their legislation as sloppy and bound to hurt the victims?

We have heard no explanation about that, and we reject the slur that we are somehow standing up for the abusers here when we are standing up for the victims. This legislation, if it were to pass, would actually make it a lot easier for the abusers to terrify and intimidate the victims.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the very distinguished gentleman from California (Mr. Correa).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from California (Ms. Simon).

Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentlewoman from California an additional 1 minute.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman for her distinguished remarks, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the distinguished gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler).

Mr. Speaker, I yield the gentleman from New York an additional 15 seconds to conclude.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore).

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the gentlewoman from Wisconsin.

Mr. Speaker, I am prepared to close.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to include in the Record the text of this amendment immediately prior to the vote on the motion to recommit.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

I can't blame my colleagues because they ran on a platform of doing better than Joe Biden on the economy, but he gave us an economy that is the glory of the world and ``the envy of the world,'' as The Economist magazine put it recently. It created 16 million new jobs, a roaring stock market, and a revived manufacturing sector.

Instead of doing anything to lower the price of groceries, which is what they promised, and to lower the price of energy, which they promised, they come back and basically ask us to pass what is already in the law but they subtract from their duplicative and redundant section the waivers and exceptions that protect the victims and survivors of domestic violence.

Instead, they just want to associate all immigrants with criminal delinquency. The vast majority of rapes in America of American women are committed by citizens, and the vast majority of noncitizens never commit rapes.

Donald Trump released 58,184 noncitizens with criminal records who came in during his administration, including 8,620 violent criminals and 306 murderers. ICE ended up rearresting 11,000

noncitizens who had been admitted under Donald Trump.

We can sit here and demagogue back and forth and say, ``You let someone in who did something bad. You let someone in who did something criminal,'' but we are not going to do that. We want to make progress for America.

Let's reject this opportunistic, silly bill, and let's move forward to guarantee the safety of America's women.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 5, I call up the bill (H.R. 30) to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to provide that aliens who have been convicted of or who have committed sex offenses or domestic violence are inadmissible and deportable, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material on H.R. 30.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 30, the Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act.

Over the past 4 years, President Biden and border czar Vice President Kamala Harris have allowed millions of unvetted illegal aliens into the United States. At the same time that they facilitated the collapse of our southwest border, President Biden and Vice President Harris abandoned any semblance of interior immigration enforcement.

In a September 2021 memo, the Biden-Harris administration made enforcement more difficult for Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. In training materials obtained by the Judiciary Committee and published in a staff report last year, DHS failed to answer seemingly clear-cut questions such as whether an alien who served a

20-year drug-related prison sentence or an alien who discharged a firearm outside of a police station should be priorities for arrest and deportation.

Until the Trump administration can change them, those are the training materials required for all of ICE's enforcement personnel nationwide. Instead of making clear that ICE officers should carry out their duties to remove criminal aliens from American streets, the Biden-Harris administration instructed ICE officers to develop a full profile of a criminal alien before deciding whether to arrest someone who is in the country illegally.

In the training examples, that included determining whether an illegal alien has high blood pressure or is a caregiver. The Biden- Harris administration's immigration absurdity appears to know no bounds.

In a transcribed interview with the Judiciary Committee, a former top ICE official admitted that the Biden-Harris administration's policies have made immigration enforcement more dangerous for ICE officers, more difficult to carry out, and less efficient overall.

The ICE official even acknowledged that because of the border crisis, fewer ICE officers are available to track down public safety and national security threats because they are left to do border administration-related tasks.

The consequences of these policies are not hypotheticals or simply numbers. They are a reality for families across the country, and they are emblematic of the Biden-Harris administration's war on women.

Last September, the Judiciary Committee heard from three mothers whose daughters were brutally assaulted and murdered by illegal aliens welcomed into the country by President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.

Tammy Nobles recounted how Joe Biden and Kamala Harris released into the country the MS-13 gang member who went on to murder and sexually assault her daughter, Kayla Hamilton. The killer later admitted to four additional murders and two additional rapes.

Patty Morin told how an illegal alien raped and strangled her daughter, Rachel, and then stuffed her body into a drainpipe. The alleged murderer entered the country through border czar Kamala Harris' wide-open southwest border.

Alexis Nungaray spoke about how Joe Biden and Kamala Harris released at the border the two illegal aliens who went on to viciously assault and murder her 12-year-old daughter, Jocelyn. Ms. Nungaray said she had no clothing from the waist down. Her hands and her ankles were tied, and she was thrown under the bridge in the water like she was nothing but garbage.

Victim advocate April Aguirre also told the tragic story of 11-year- old Maria Gonzalez. The Biden-Harris administration released her alleged murderer into the United States. Just 7 months later, the illegal alien assaulted and killed Maria, wrapped her body in a trash bag, and stuffed her in a laundry basket that he shoved underneath his bed.

These are not isolated incidents. In February 2024, an illegal alien was arrested in Alabama for allegedly raping a 14-year-old girl who could not consent to the intercourse, as she was physically helpless or mentally incapacitated.

In April 2024, an illegal alien was arrested in Indiana for allegedly breaking into a Michigan mobile home park and sexually assaulting two young girls.

In May 2024, authorities arrested a 20-year-old illegal alien for allegedly snatching an 11-year-old girl off the street in front of her Lake Worth, Florida, home and sexually assaulting her. According to local officials, the Guatemalan national crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in early January 2024, made his way to Florida shortly thereafter, and does not have an immigration court date until 2027.

Just earlier this month, ICE arrested a Dominican national who had been charged with assault to rape, kidnapping, and indecent assault. The illegal alien crossed the border in January 2023 and was placed on alternatives to detention.

That is Joe Biden and Kamala Harris' immigration legacy: more unvetted aliens released into American communities, more criminal aliens on American streets, and more Americans endangered by radical, reckless policies. Thankfully, the American people have voted to end this nightmare.

The Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act is just one of many bills Republicans have proposed that will help close immigration loopholes, reverse the disastrous policies of the Biden- Harris administration, and implement President Trump's immigration enforcement agenda.

The Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act makes crystal clear that illegal aliens who commit sex offenses are inadmissible to and removable from the United States. The bill also fixes a discrepancy in current law by creating a ground of inadmissibility for domestic violence to mirror the existing ground of removability for the same offenses.

In addition, H.R. 30 expands the current ground of removability for domestic violence by cross-referencing an existing statutory definition for sex offenses. Although many aliens can already be found inadmissible to or removable from the United States for certain sex offenses and domestic violence offenses, this bill expands and clarifies the conduct for which an alien can be found removable from the country.

The time is now to take seriously the danger of criminal aliens in the United States. Anything that makes it easier for adjudicators and officials to ensure a criminal alien's arrest and removal should receive overwhelming bipartisan support, particularly when it comes to sex offenses and domestic violence.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 30, the Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Harris).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cline).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. McClintock).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Onder).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 7 minutes to the gentlewoman from South Carolina (Ms. Mace).

Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I am prepared to close, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Democrats claim this bill is unnecessary because aliens who commit sex offenses or domestic violence offenses are already inadmissible or removable. That ignores reality.

Take, for example, the fact that, under current immigration law, there is no explicit ground of inadmissibility for illegal aliens who commit domestic violence offenses, despite a ground of removability for aliens who commit such offenses, or consider that despite certain sex offenses making aliens removable from the country, there currently is not a ground of inadmissibility or removability for certain sex offenses.

Although some aliens who commit these offenses may be found inadmissible or removable for having committed a crime involving moral turpitude, that is far from certain.

Under current law, loopholes abound. For example, in 2023, the Ninth Circuit held that a conviction for menacing constituting domestic violence was not a crime involving moral turpitude even though the alien threatened his wife with a knife.

The Third Circuit held that an alien was not removable despite a conviction for involuntary devient sexual intercourse with a 15-year- old.

Similarly, courts have found that certain convictions for contributing to the delinquency of a minor, assault of a victim under 12 years old, and annoying or molesting a child are not crimes involving moral turpitude.

That is why this bill is imperative. It is to ensure that criminal aliens who endanger families and communities can be removed from the United States.

The Biden-Harris administration's war on women must come to an end, and this bill is one step toward that.

Making guests in our country inadmissible to and removable from the United States because they have committed a sex offense or domestic violence offense should be something that even open-border Democrats can agree with us on.

Mr. Speaker, the Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act is a straightforward, commonsense bill that I urge my colleagues to support, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, yes, I rise today to ``demonize,'' as the word was used on the left across the aisle, to demonize illegal immigrants who are here raping our women and girls, murdering our women and girls, and who are pedophiles molesting our children. You are darn right. That is what I am here to do today.

I rise in strong support of my bill, H.R. 30, the Preventing Violence Against Women By Illegal Aliens Act.

Under the open-border policies of Joe Biden and border czar Kamala Harris and Secretary Mayorkas, our country has been ravaged by a hoard of illegal aliens molesting American children, battering and bruising and beating up American women, and violently raping American women and girls.

My bill makes it very clear: If an illegal alien commits a sex crime or an act of domestic violence, they are inadmissible and deportable-- we aren't letting you into our country, and if you are already here, we are sending you back to yours.

My colleagues on the other side of the aisle like to try to minimize this issue because they refuse to acknowledge the consequences of their open-borders agenda, but the numbers don't lie.

According to ICE, as of July, there were nearly 650,000 illegal aliens on the nondetained docket who are convicted criminals who have been charged with crimes.

These criminal illegal aliens freely roam our streets committing senseless acts of violence against American women and children. This includes over 100,000 illegal aliens convicted of or charged with assault. It includes over 20,000 illegal aliens convicted of or charged with sexual assault and rape. It includes over 12,000 illegal aliens convicted of or charged with sex offenses. It includes over 3,000 illegal aliens convicted of or charged with kidnapping. And it includes nearly 15,000 illegal aliens convicted of or charged with murder. That is who the left are defending this morning: murderers, rapists, and pedophiles.

Hundreds of thousands of criminal illegal aliens are out on our streets terrorizing our women and girls. This bill passed the House last year in September by a vote of 266-158. Mr. Speaker, 158 Democrats voted against this bill last time. Will they apologize to American women and girls today and do the right thing for our citizens?

A vote against this bill is a vote against deporting illegal aliens who rape and abuse women and children. A vote against this bill is a vote to invite illegal aliens who rape and abuse women and children into the United States of America. I can think of nothing less American than that.

It is despicable that 158 Members of this body, which is supposed to represent the interests of American citizens, voted to prioritize illegal aliens who are sexual predators and domestic abusers, rapists, and pedophiles over the safety of American women and girls.

Mr. Speaker, what do the 158 Members of this body who voted last time to protect illegal aliens who are sexual predators have to say to the family of Jocelyn Nungaray, a 12-year-old girl who was brutally raped and strangled to death by two illegal aliens from Venezuela?

What do the 158 Democrats who voted against this bill last time have to say to the family of Rachel Morin from Maryland, a mother of five, who was brutally raped, brutally choked, and beaten to death on a hiking trail by an illegal alien from El Salvador?

What do the 158 Members of this body, the Democrats who voted against this bill last time, have to say to the family of Kayla Hamilton, a 20- year-old with autism who was tied up, raped, and strangled to death with a phone cord by an illegal alien who was a member of MS-13?

As a survivor of both rape and domestic violence myself, I know the devastating toll, the devastating consequences, that heinous crimes like these have on a woman. I know the lifelong, irreversible scars these heinous crimes leave behind.

The blood and the physical and emotional pain caused by these tragedies, the trauma caused by these tragedies, the lifelong trauma of these tragedies, this blood is on the hands of every single Democrat in this body who votes against this bill.

It is our birthright as American citizens to live freely and safely in our communities. One woman, one child victimized by one illegal alien is one too many. They have no right to be here.

Some of my colleagues across the aisle claim that the definition of domestic violence in this bill is too broad. They are wrong. The current definition isn't broad enough, and I know this now that I have been a victim most recently of domestic violence and abuse that VAWA did not go far enough, and our States have a lot more to go to protect women and girls.

I implore my colleagues to look at their hearts, hear the cries of the families who have been shattered by these evil acts committed by illegal aliens, and put American women and children first and pass this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record three reports on arrests.

[From the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Feb. 2, 2024]

ERO Seattle Arrests 6 Noncitizens With Criminal Convictions for Child

Exploitation During National Operation

Seattle--U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE)

Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Seattle arrested six

noncitizens convicted of crimes related to child exploitation

during a nationwide law enforcement effort that ran from

January 16-28.

``Noncitizens who commit repugnant acts at the expense of

children will not be allowed to claim our great nation as

their home,'' said ERO Seattle Field Office Director Drew

Bostock. ``The arrests ERO Seattle made during this national

operation are an example of the constant contributions we

make locally to keep the U.S. safe from child predators.''

All arrests took place in the assigned ERO Seattle states

of Alaska, Washington and Oregon, with criminal convictions

made by courts in Washington and Oregon.

Those arrested include:

A 53-year-old citizen of El Salvador in Tacoma who was

convicted of felony child molestation in the first degree,

child molestation in the second degree, and rape of a child

in the third degree.

A 42-year-old citizen of Mexico in Moses Lake who was

convicted of dealing in depictions of a minor engaged in

sexually explicit conduct.

A 39-year-old citizen of Mexico in Federal Way who was

convicted of communication with a minor for immoral purposes.

A 69-year-old citizen of Mexico in Yakima who was convicted

of dealing in depictions of a minor engaged in sexually

explicit conduct.

A 58-year-old citizen of Mexico in Yakima who was convicted

of child molestation in the first degree, child molestation

in the second degree, and rape of a child in the third

degree.

A 43-year-old citizen of Mexico in Woodburn, Oregon, who

was convicted of first degree sexual abuse of a minor.

ERO officers evaluate individuals on a case-by-case basis,

assessing the totality of the facts and circumstances to make

informed arrest determinations. Those cases amenable to

federal criminal prosecution can be presented to the U.S.

attorney's office. ERO also coordinates with U.S. Citizenship

and Immigration Services to evaluate the completion of

relevant noncitizen applications.

In fiscal year 2023, ERO arrested 73,822 noncitizens with

criminal histories; this group had 290,178 associated charges

and convictions with an average of four per individual. These

included 33,209 assaults; 4,390 sex and sexual assaults;

7,520 weapons offenses; 1,7l3 charges or convictions for

homicide; and 1,655 kidnapping offenses.

As one of ICE's three operational directorates, ERO is the

principal federal law enforcement authority in charge of

domestic immigration enforcement. ERO's mission is to protect

the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who

undermine the safety of U.S. communities and the integrity of

U.S. immigration laws, and its primary areas of focus are

interior enforcement operations, management of the agency's

detained and non-detained populations, and repatriation of

noncitizens who have received final orders of removal. ERO's

workforce consists of more than 7,700 law enforcement and

non-law enforcement support personnel across 25 domestic

field offices and 208 locations nationwide, 30 overseas

postings, and multiple temporary duty travel assignments

along the border.

Members of the public can report crimes and suspicious

activity by dialing 866-347-2423 or completing the online tip

form. Learn more about ICE's mission to increase public

safety in your community by following us on X, formerly known

as Twitter, @EROSeattle.

Mr. Speaker, since we have someone from the State of Maryland, this was on FOX News: ``Arrest of illegal immigrant previously convicted of rape in Maryland marks record for ICE.''

``ICE nabs several migrants convicted of child molestation, one convicted murderer, in blue State suburbs.''

Another one from Maryland: ``Rachel Morin murder: Illegal immigrant from El Salvador charged in rape, killing of Maryland mom of five.''

We had someone from Washington today talk. Here is an article about the ERO: ``ERO Seattle arrests six noncitizens with criminal convictions for child exploitation during national operation.''

In California: ``Serial rapist illegal migrant attacked woman in `rape dungeon on wheels,''' said the cops.

Of course, for someone from New York, here is the headline from New York: ``ERO New York City arrests unlawfully present Salvadoran citizen convicted of rape.''

These are the illegals that the left is defending today. I find it disgusting and offensive, and I will always put American women and girls first.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the topic of this Special Order.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, House Republicans are doubling down on our commitment to supporting and protecting the rights and safety of women and girls across the country. We are doing this by championing bills that fight back against unfair competition in sports and dangerous immigration policies.

Yesterday, we passed Congressman Steube's Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, which is now on its way to the Senate. This legislation prevents biological males from competing in school athletic programs for women and girls by requiring that sex in athletic competition be determined by genetics at birth.

House Republicans are also supporting Congresswoman Mace's Violence Against Women By Illegal Aliens Act, which amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to make illegal immigrants inadmissible and deportable from the United States if they are convicted of or have admitted to committing sex offense or domestic violence.

I am grateful to my colleagues for joining me this evening to discuss these important measures and our commitment to delivering for our daughters, sisters, nieces, and granddaughters.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Moran).

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for being willing to carve out time in their schedules to come down and share this message.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from North Dakota (Mrs. Fedorchak).

Mr. Speaker, North Dakota, like Utah, definitely hits above its weight, and the gentlewoman from North Dakota's presence is key on all of these particular issues.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from Indiana (Mrs. Houchin), our Conference secretary.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa), who has been through the devastation that we are seeing there, and our hearts go out to those in California. His district has been hit by this several times, and I will say that hearing the stories and conversations he has from his district, it just puts it into perspective. This is tough stuff. He has been down this road before and has been a strong leader on communicating

what we need to do to keep it from continuing to happen.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California. Again, we continue to pray that the best outcomes possible will continue to happen for California.

Mr. Speaker, my next speaker from Montana (Mr. Downing) is a brand- new Member and our concluding speaker here today. We consider ourselves, as a Utahn and Montanan, the greatest portion of the country, wouldn't you say, out West? We have a lot to prove that.

The gentleman is a new Member but a very experienced, thoughtful, and strong Member that I look forward to working with. I thank him for being here.

Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Montana (Mr. Downing).

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Montana. I appreciate all that we have been able to enact thus far.

Mr. Speaker, I close tonight and just thank my colleagues for being here tonight and for taking the time to speak on this important issue.

As I mentioned earlier, House Republicans are committed to advancing legislation that supports our women and girls and gives them a fair chance to excel in their athletic endeavors.

The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act ensures biological males are unable to compete in female-designated sports, giving women and girls the opportunity to compete on a fair playing field by requiring schools to comply with the Title IX recognition of a person's genetics at birth. This bill withholds Federal funding from schools that facilitate athletic programs where biological men compete against biological women.

To be clear, this is not about disrespecting anyone. Everyone is worthy of dignity and respect. However, protecting women and girls from feeling uncomfortable in their locker rooms, sustaining major sports injuries because of unfair competition, or simply losing out on well- deserved athletic accolades because they are genetically unable to beat a male is not purely political effort. It is simply what is right.

This is a line that we must draw, and we know that Americans agree with this.

I have joked before about a couple of things. I have four boys. I wasn't blessed with a girl. We lament it every day. I do love those boys, though. I push them hard in sports.

I reflect on this about my nieces, and they are dynamite athletes and, candidly, can probably beat me in most of their assigned sports, such as tennis and soccer, across the board. That is what motivates me on this.

The amount of confidence that you get from sports is key. The ability to compete and play and enjoy this, above anything else, with all of the extra pressures that are placed on kids nowadays with social media pressure and everything, the concepts of teamwork that you learn, achieving something, getting better at something, and having the ability to say that you have a shot to win that competition cannot be beaten into my nieces.

They have to be able to say, with a level playing field, they can go win this, not because it is important to win that gold ribbon or this or that or win the track meet. It is because they need to know that the effort they put in can achieve something.

That is going to translate into a career, into anything that they get involved with where they have to accomplish something. It is not just about sports. It is a psychological element that we need to make sure exists.

Sports is such a key, important aspect for growth in people, and that is what we are trying to do here. Let's not make this a political endeavor. At least you won't ever get that from me and my office and the way we communicate about this.

Additionally, House Republicans this week are standing up for women's safety by bringing to the floor Congresswoman Mace's Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act to uphold the U.S. border laws and make illegal immigrants who have been convicted of or admitted to sex offenses or domestic violence inadmissible and deportable.

This bill is about closing critical gaps in our crimes. Last year, over 20,000 illegal immigrants were not detained for sexual assault. As of July, over 650,000 with criminal histories were on the ICE non- detained docket. This must change. This bill takes action to get these violent offenders off of our streets and make our communities safe again.

I am grateful for the work my Republican colleagues have done to push these bills forward. We are wasting no time to get some of the sensible legislation that we were able to get passed and went nowhere in the Senate in the last Congress, and we want to give the Senate an opportunity to vote on this again.

I sincerely believe there will be Democrats who see the sensible approach with this. We are also seeing it with the bill we passed last week, the Laken Riley Act.

Again, I thank Congressman Steube and Congresswoman Mace for their leadership on these critical issues. To my colleagues, again, I appreciate their willingness to spend some time down here today.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.