Congresswoman Stefanik Introduces FAIR-Supported Legislation to Block and Deport Sexual Predators

FAIR Take | October 2021

Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) introduced the BE GONE Act alongside 58 members of the House of Representatives. The BE GONE Act is the House companion to Senator Joni Ernst’s (R-Iowa) bill which would block and deport immigrants with prior sexual assault convictions from trying to enter the United States.

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), current language bars aliens who commit certain crimes from receiving deportation relief. It also prevents such illegal aliens from applying for asylum, which is the primary mechanism driving our current crisis. Rep. Stefanik’s BE GONE Act would ensure that “sexual abuse, sexual assault, and aggravated sexual violence” would constitute an aggravated felony under the INA, and therefore bar aliens who commit such crimes from remaining in the U.S. or applying for asylum.

This legislation comes at a time when the topics of immigration and border security are at the forefront of the American consciousness. A recent Quinnipiac poll shows that more than 58 percent of voters disapprove of President Biden’s handling of immigration issues. Related to the BE GONE Act, an illegal alien recently raped a woman on a commuter train in Philadelphia. He was in the country despite having a lengthy criminal record and was once released from immigration detention following a separate sexual abuse crime. Had Rep. Stefanik’s BE GONE Act been in place, this heinous crime may have not happened.

FAIR supports the BE GONE Act as a commonsense bill that fixes a significant oversight in the INA as it is currently written. Commenting on the legislation, Former Acting Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection and current FAIR fellow Mark Morgan said:

Having triggered and mismanaged a border crisis on top of a refusal to enforce immigration laws in American communities, it is clear that the Biden Administration does not prioritize public safety. Senator Ernst and Congresswoman Stefanik do, however. Their bill would keep sexual predators out of the country and off our streets. I’m proud to support it.

Adding to these remarks, FAIR’s Government Relations Director RJ Hauman said:

We applaud Senator Ernst and Congresswoman Stefanik for introducing commonsense, well-timed legislation to ensure that sexual predators are deportable and inadmissible. Not only should sexual predators ‘be gone,’ so should Majority Leader Schumer and Speaker Pelosi’s indefensible opposition to every immigration bill that seeks to enhance enforcement or secure the border. This bill should be voted on immediately. Enough is enough.

Congress has the opportunity to fix a significant blind spot in the INA with Rep. Stefanik’s BE GONE Act. No criminal illegal alien should escape justice – this legislation ensures that criminal illegal aliens who commit heinous sexual offenses will face quick removal.