Republicans Want to Deport Immigrants for a Single DUI

[douglas9]

One of the early signs that Democrats weren’t really in the mood to fight on immigration policy was the passage of the Laken Riley Act, which became the first bill that President Trump signed upon returning to the White House in January.

The Laken Riley Act is a bad law. It’s also cooked up to be bad in all the ways that would scare a swing district politician. To oppose it, one has to defend undocumented immigrants who get entangled with the criminal justice system, even if only briefly, even if never found guilty of a crime. That polls badly. It would require a politician to do a lot of explaining, about the difference between accusation and guilt, about due process, about proportionality, yada yada. The media consultants always teach: If you’re explaining, you’re losing. Who has the courage for that kind of fight?

In January, 48 House Dems and 12 Senate Dems did not have that courage. Or, maybe they just liked the idea of indefinitely detaining people who have never been convicted of anything. Or, maybe they trusted the incoming Trump Administration to be more … not the Trump Administration? (Ask Rep. Jahana Hayes of Connecticut to explain this one.)

Or, to be more charitable, maybe some of these congresspeople and senators just didn’t understand what the bill would actually do. I mean, how could they? Laws are complicated, and one has to acknowledge that it was a full 8-pages long, double-spaced. Maybe if they had understood they would have voted no, but who has the time to read eight pages?

Eight!

[To be fair, I’ve talked to more than one reporter who has been misled by a politician about what the Laken Riley Act actually does. I’ve told these reporters, “You know, you don’t have to ask me. You could just read it.”]

Do I sound a little bitter? Actually, I’m worried they might do it again. The House is nearing a vote on an even shorter bill — Two Paragraphs! - known as the H.R. 875, or the Jeremy and Angel Seay and Sergeant Brandon Mendoza Protect Our Communities from DUIs Act of 2025.

https://behindtheborder.substack.com/p/republicans-want-to-deport-immigrants?publication_id=3588828&post_id=166825881&isFreemail=true&r=5f9foq

[purple_haze]

1. CIMT