Washington, D.C. — Today, Senator Ted Budd (R-NC) blasted Senate Democrats after they blocked his amendment to the partial government funding package that would have explicitly stated that an illegal immigrant may be deported for assaulting a police officer, firefighter, or other first responder.
Current law does not cover all assaults against law enforcement, meaning some immigrants can remain in the country even after committing this reprehensible crime.
Senator Budd originally introduced S. 1733, the POLICE Act on May 18, 2023. The House bill, H.R. 2494 passed the House last year in a strong bipartisan vote, with the support of 219 Republicans and 36 Democrats.
The bill is supported by the North Carolina Troopers Association.
In a speech on the Senate floor, Senator Budd said:
We are in the middle of the worst border crisis in U.S. history. The story of this crisis is one of preventable tragedies compounding day after day. And sadly, we’ve seen it in North Carolina less than two years ago, when Wake County Deputy Sheriff Ned Byrd was killed in the line of duty. He was murdered by illegal aliens who should have never been in this country.
I believe that if an illegal alien commits the crime of assaulting a police officer, he or she must be subject to immediate deportation. Any Senator who claims to support the police should have no problem supporting my amendment, which would attach the POLICE Act to this funding package. The POLICE Act simply states that an alien can be deported for assaulting a police officer, firefighter, or other first responder.
This bill has already passed the House, and it can be sent to the president’s desk by passing it right now. I call on my fellow Senators to support my amendment. Help remove dangerous individuals before another tragedy strikes.
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