The House passed legislation Wednesday evening that would make it easier to deport immigrants who assault law enforcement officers, despite protests from Democrats who said the legislation could lead to unwarranted deportations.
The House voted 255-175 to pass the bill, which would make it a deportable offense to assault an officer, including police, firefighters and other first responders.
The legislation would not be limited to immigrants convicted of assaulting an officer, but would also sweep in any immigrant who admits they assaulted or were involved in the assault of a law enforcement officer.
The Republican-led bill drew some Democratic support in the House, but it is less likely to gain traction in the Democrat-controlled Senate.
Speaking on the House floor ahead of the vote, New York Republican Rep. Andrew Garbarino, who introduced the legislation, said his bill would codify and clarify an “ambiguous” issue in current law.
“This is about improving officer safety and making it easier to remove migrants who have demonstrated flagrant criminal violence while on U.S. soil,” Garbarino said.
House Democrats, however, slammed the bill as overly broad.
New York Rep. Jerrold Nadler, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, argued on the House floor Wednesday that the bill could lead to the deportation of U.S. permanent residents who accidentally or unknowingly strike an officer, such as during a medical emergency and when breaking up a fight involving an undercover officer.
He also noted that assaulting a law enforcement officer is “largely already a deportable offense.”

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