Many Democrats may be running scared from their sanctury statehood policies ahead of Election 2024, Save Jerseyans, but the pander is still strong on Capitol Hill.
Legislation (H.R. 6976) passed with 215 Republican votes and 59 Democrat votes this week; the bill would lead to the deportation of illegal aliens convicted of driving while intoxicated. The new law would specifically apply to “[a]ny alien who has been convicted of, who admits having committed, or who admits committing acts which constitute the essential elements of an offense for driving while intoxicated or impaired, as those terms are defined under the law of the jurisdiction where the conviction, offense, or acts constituting the essential elements of the offense occurred (including an offense for driving while under the influence of or impaired by alcohol or drugs), without regard to whether the conviction or offense is classified as a misdemeanor or felony under Federal, State, tribal, or local law.”
But no less than 150 House Democrats – a supermajority of the caucus – opposed the otherwise uncontroversial measure including five members of Congress from the Garden State.
The “no” votes were Andy Kim (D, NJ-03), Rob Menendez (D, NJ-08), Bill Pascrell (D, NJ-09), Donald Payne (D, NJ-10), Frank Pallone (D, NJ-06) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D, NJ-12). Kim is currently a candidate for U.S. Senate. Menendez is the son of U.S. Senator Bob Menendez – one of Kim’s primary opponents – who stands accused of peddling influence on behalf of foreign interests in exchange for bribes including gold bars. Shocking? Not really. Keep in midn that Democrats spent most of the Trump years accusing anyone who advocated for any common sense immigration controls of exhibiting gross xenaphobia. They’ve put themselves into a wacky, far-Left box of their own making.
Two Democrats with gubernatorial aspirations – Mikie Sherrill (D, NJ-11) and Josh Gottheimer (D, NJ-05) voted with Republicans; Donald Norcross (D, NJ-01) didn’t vote at all.
All three Republicans from New Jersey – Van Drew, Smith, and Kean – backed the proposal.
The consequences of Democrats’ politically-motivated inaction are real. Last month, Fox News reported that an illegal immigrant in Colorado had allegedly killed both a mother and her child in a DWI collision. The accused had been deported no less than 4-times. In late summer 2022, ICE picked up 170 illegals with more than one DWI conviction to their respective names as part of a national arrest sweep.
