Moore bill aiming to deport illegal immigrants convicted of driving under influence passes U.S. House
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WSFA) - Legislation brought by an Alabama congressman that would force the deportation of people in the United States illegally if they’re convicted of driving drunk or impaired has passed the U.S. House.
Republican U.S. Rep. Barry Moore, AL-District 2, saw his legislation, H.R. 6976, The Protect Communities from DUIs Act, pass by a vote of 274-150 on Thursday.
Moore introduced the legislation after an incident involving friends of his.
“This issue hits close to home for me,” Moore explained. “There was a newlywed couple from my hometown of Enterprise, Alabama, named Angel and Jeremy Seay. I knew them personally. Angel and Jeremy were riding their motorcycle together when an illegal immigrant under the influence of alcohol collided into them with his pickup. Their lives were cut dramatically short. Sadly, tragedies like this are not uncommon across our country.”
Moore’s office released statistics on fatal crashes involving an alcohol impaired driver, saying someone is killed “every 45 minutes” in the U.S. That came to 13,384 alcohol-related driving deaths in 2021, as well as 400,000 injuries.
“Those crashes don’t discriminate,” Moore said. “It could be me, it could be you, or it could be one of our family members.”
It’s not clear what percentage of alcohol-related crashes or deaths involve illegal immigrants.
The bill would next need to be approved by the U.S. Senate and signed by President Joe Biden before becoming law.
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