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Sen. Ted Budd, RN.C., and Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., introduced the Stop Illegal Alien Police Act, a bicameral bill aimed at preventing people in the United States illegally from possessing firearms or ammunition while employed as police officers.
The law would prohibit illegal immigrants working in law enforcement roles from accepting or carrying firearms and ammunition issued by federal agencies, such as local police departments.
“Illegal aliens have no Second Amendment rights,” Budd wrote in a statement. “It is ridiculous for police departments to arm illegal immigrants who flout our immigration laws with guns and ammunition, not to mention taxpayer money.
“Federal law already prohibits those entering our country illegally from carrying firearms, and it is time to ensure that illegal aliens who work in local police departments are held to the same legal standard.”
“Sanctuary policies in states like Illinois have allowed illegal immigrants to wear a badge and carry a gun,” Miller wrote in a statement. “That is a disgrace to all honorable officers and a danger to public safety.
“The power of law enforcement must be reserved for those who respect and abide by our laws, not those who break them,” he added.
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Sen. Ted Budd, RN.C., is leading the effort to enforce federal legislation in Democratic-controlled states that equips illegal immigrants with law enforcement jobs. (Al Drago/Getty Images)
Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Lindsey Graham, RS.C., John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., joined Budd in introducing the measure to the Senate. In the House, more than a dozen Republicans have signed on as co-sponsors, including Reps. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., Clay Higgins, R-La., Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla.
“This is common sense: Illegal aliens who have already broken our country’s laws should not carry a badge or a gun,” Mullin wrote in a statement. “We hold our brave men and women in law enforcement to the highest standards and the Stop Illegal Alien Cops Act will only strengthen those standards.”
Rep. Mary Miller, R-Ill., lamented that ‘sanctuary policies in states like Illinois have gone so far as to allow illegal immigrants to wear badges and carry guns: That’s an embarrassment to every decent officer and a threat to public safety.’ (Received by Rep. Mary Miller)
The bill was endorsed by Gun Owners of America, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the Federation for American Immigration Reform and the Immigration Accountability Project.
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Supporters cite recent cases in which Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested suspected illegal immigrants who were working or training to become police officers in California, Illinois, Maine and Louisiana. In 2022, California passed a law allowing non-citizens to become police officers, and reports indicated that such hiring was taking place in 2023, including within the Los Angeles Police Department.
The law includes exceptions for visiting foreign law enforcement officials and persons legally admitted to the US for activities such as hunting trips or shooting competitions.
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