by Luke Sprinkel
Two Democratic Minnesota congresswomen voted against federal legislation which seeks to deport illegal immigrants who assault law enforcement officers. Rep. Ilhan Omar and Rep. Betty McCollum were the lone votes from Minnesota to oppose H.R. 7343.
The aptly named “Detain and Deport Illegal Aliens Who Assault Cops Act” was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last week in a 265-148 vote. In total, 54 Democrats joined Republicans in supporting the bill; 148 Democrats voted against H.R. 7343. No Republican opposed the proposed law.
Minnesota’s two other Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Dean Phillips and Angie Craig, voted in favor of the bill.
H.R. 7343 was authored by Republican Congressman Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey. Rep. Pete Stauber, R-Minn., is a cosponsor on the bill.
“President Biden and his administration have worked to systematically undermine America’s principle of law and order by allowing millions of illegal aliens to cross our border,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson in a statement regarding H.R. 7343.
“Our law enforcement officers risk their lives daily to keep our communities safe, and they shouldn’t have to confront the added risk of being assaulted by illegal aliens who demonstrate a blatant disregard for our legal system and institutions. Congressman Van Drew’s Detain and Deport Illegal Aliens Who Assault Cops Act conveys a straightforward message: if you come to the U.S. illegally and attack an officer, you will be detained and deported,” added the Speaker.
After its passage last week, the Detain and Deport Illegal Aliens Who Assault Cops Act was sent to the U.S. Senate and referred to that chamber’s Judiciary Committee. Currently, the U.S. Senate is controlled by Democrats.
The Detain and Deport Illegal Aliens Who Assault Cops Act was one of several votes taken by the U.S. House during National Police Week. Among other actions taken by the chamber was a vote on a resolution “condemning the Biden border crisis and the tremendous burdens law enforcement officers face as a result.”
This resolution passed with less bipartisan support by a margin of 223-185. Only 15 Democratic lawmakers joined Republicans in supporting the amendment. Ilhan Omar, Betty McCollum, and Dean Phillips all voted against the resolution. Angie Craig, along with all four GOP Minnesota representatives, voted for the resolution.
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Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
Photo “Ilhan Omar” by Gage Skidmore. CC BY-SA 2.0.
