Exclusive: Immigration legislation to expedite illegal trespassers on military bases
Republican lawmakers have proposed legislation that will allow for expedited deportations of illegal immigrants who have been convicted of, or who have committed offenses related to, entering military, naval, or coast guard properties, the Washington Reporter has learned.
The Protecting Military Assets Act of 2024, introduced by Rep. Morgan Luttrell (R., Texas), comes after a series of high-profile crimes allegedly committed by illegal immigrants, including one instance in which two illegal immigrants attempted to breach the Marine Corps’s base in Quantico, Virginia. According to the Potomac Local News, one of the two was “on the U.S. terrorist watch list.”
“This breach is a clear example of how out of control this crisis has become under President Biden’s leadership,” Luttrell told the Reporter. “Fortunately, our dedicated service members were able to stop these individuals before any harm was done. However, this incident raises a crucial question: what happens when action is not taken in time? The lives of our brave service members and the safety of our nation are truly at stake.”
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has repeatedly declined to release the identities of the two illegal immigrants who attempted to break into Quantico. Sen. Ted Budd (R., N.C.) led a group of Senate Republicans in asking Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for more information on the case, but has heard back “nothing of substance,” his office told the Reporter.
“We also have not received a response to the letter Senator Budd sent to Sec. Mayorkas demanding answers after individuals with suspected ties to ISIS were apprehended at the Southern border, vetted, and released into the U.S.,” Budd’s office told the Reporter.
Luttrell introduced his bill alongside Reps. Dan Crenshaw (R., Texas), Jodey Arrington (R., Texas), Harriet Hageman (R., Wyo.), Michael McCaul (R., Texas), Neal Dunn (R., Fla.), Aaron Bean (R., Fla.), Nick LaLota (R., N.Y.), and Jen Kiggans (R., Va.). Luttrell, a freshman congressman, has introduced several other border security-related bills, like the Criminal Illegal Alien Report Act, the CARTEL Act, and the Protect Our Borders From Armed Invaders Act.
Read the full text of the legislation HERE.
