Amo Slams Bad-Faith GOP Immigration Proposal

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Gabe Amo (RI-01) released the following statement on his vote against H.R. 30:

“Another week, another poorly drafted Republican proposal that fails to address problems in our immigration system. If this bill actually closed loopholes or supported survivors of domestic violence, I would vote for it. It’s clear this bill does not,” said Congressman Gabe Amo. “I support the enforcement of current laws that detain and deport criminals who commit heinous crimes like domestic violence and sexual offenses. But this bill does nothing to invest in public safety or reduce crime in our communities. Rather, it lumps in anyone who defends themselves or is accused of violence by an abuser, hurting the very people that this bill claims to protect. I stand with victims and survivors, and Rhode Islanders who support them, like the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence who is loudly denouncing this problematic proposal. It’s past time for the GOP to stop playing games with our immigration laws.” 

“This bill takes a sweeping, punitive approach that ignores the needs of domestic violence victims and their families. If it passes, it will create a barrier for victims to seek help, if they fear that a family member may be deported,” said Lucy Rios, Executive Director of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Domestic Violence. “It will also result in innocent victims and survivors in our communities being arrested and criminalized. Not only does it increase the risk of false accusations against people of color, but it will make it easier for abusers to falsely accuse victims in order to weaponize the justice system against them. We join the National Network to End Domestic Violence and domestic violence agencies around the country in urging Congress to seek guidance from survivors and advocates, and we thank Congressman Amo for his vote against this harmful bill.”

BACKGROUND

Contrary to what Republicans claim, H.R. 30 harms victims of domestic violence. More than 200 local and national organizations that serve and work with victims of domestic violence and sexual assault oppose this legislation. Read their letter of opposition HERE.

Under existing immigration laws, people who:

• Commit domestic violence, sexual offenses, or other heinous crimes are already inadmissible and removable.  
• Are convicted of domestic violence can already be deported.
• Commit or are convicted of the “sexual offenses” discussed in this bill are already inadmissible to the country and subject to deportation. 
• Are convicted of, or admit to committing, crimes like domestic violence and sexual assault can be deemed inadmissible to the country or unable to adjust their immigration status and obtain a green card.

H.R. 30 adds duplicative grounds of inadmissibility and deportability for “sexual offenses” and adds a new ground of inadmissibility for domestic violence which does not require a conviction. It does not have any of the current exceptions for victims that exist in the deportability grounds and inappropriately expands the definition of domestic violence, using a definition found in the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) that was only intended for awarding federal funding and grants to better assist victims and survivors.

The broader definition of domestic violence included in H.R. 30 was never intended to determine criminality or apply in the criminal law context – in fact, the VAWA definition explicitly says it covers conduct that “may or may not constitute criminal behavior.” The current definition of domestic violence under federal criminal law rightly requires physical force.  According to victim advocates and organizations that serve survivors of domestic violence, using the broader VAWA definition in H.R. 30 will make victims who acted in self-defense, victims who were wrongly accused by their abusers and were unable to defend themselves or pled guilty (to avoid a messy court process) inadmissible to the country and subject to deportation.

The title of this GOP bill suggests that it would only apply to undocumented immigrants, but its reach is much broader. This bill would also apply to people who have legal status, such as green card holders, students, temporary workers, and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals and Temporary Protected Status recipients.

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