MS-13, Tren de Aragua targeted for death blow in new GOP bill aimed at migrant crime

FIRST ON FOX: House Republicans introduced a measure Wednesday, the Punishing Illegal Immigrant Felons Act, which would dramatically summation penalties for criminal enactment by amerciable immigrants, thing the bill’s sponsors judge tin assistance present a decease stroke to organized transgression by illegals successful the U.S.

Rep. Brad Knott, R-N.C., said the measure already has robust enactment successful the House and that cardinal members of the Trump medication person been precise "supportive."

This comes arsenic the Trump medication has moved rapidly to fastener down the borderline and statesman arresting the "worst of the worst" amerciable aliens contiguous successful the country. The Trump medication has promised to beryllium "ruthlessly aggressive" successful cracking down connected amerciable transgression groups endangering Americans.

However, Knott, who introduced the measure Wednesday, told Fox News Digital that, from his acquisition arsenic a prosecutor, helium believes Congress indispensable enactment rapidly to unafraid the imperishable changes needed to deter galore of the hardened criminals who person made organized crime successful the U.S. "big business."

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Rep. Brad Knott, R-N.C., and House Republicans are introducing a measure this week to dramatically summation penalties for crimes committed by amerciable aliens, thing they judge is indispensable to deter the "worst of the worst" from entering the country. (House Creative Services via Wikimedia Commons and Alex Pena/Anadolu via Getty Images)

"There is simply a precise existent acceptable radical of criminals that a partition and deportations unsocial is wholly insufficient to deter them from coming to the United States to perpetrate crime," Knott said. "I person prosecuted radical who were deported much than 10 times. Yet they travel backmost exclusively to perpetrate crime, whether that is quality trafficking, whether it's cause trafficking, whether it's wealth laundering, you sanction it." 

Knott said, up until now, determination has been an "incentive" for criminals, including members of migrant gangs similar MS-13 and Tren de Aragua, to travel to the U.S. "because they are capable to enrich themselves with precise debased hazard of utmost cost."

"Two years is nary deterrent," helium said. "I prosecuted cartel members, and if they got a 24-month sentence, a two-year sentence, it would not interrupt their transgression cognition astatine all."

During his clip arsenic a national prosecutor, Knott said, instances of amerciable felons returning to perpetrate much crimes aft being deported were "too galore to remember."

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Alleged MS-13 pack members  (Reuters)

"I talked to idiosyncratic who was deported much than 10 times … and I asked him, ‘Why bash you support coming backmost to the United States?’ And helium was precise candid with me. He said, ‘Why wouldn't I?’" Knott shared. "He could marque much money. He could run successful a state that was safer. People were nice. He could enrich himself portion poisoning the children that helium would merchantability drugs to.

"This measure successful ample portion closes that spread successful the law," helium explained. "It categorizes amerciable aliens who perpetrate crimes successful a wholly antithetic category."  

If passed and signed into law, Knott’s measure would summation the punishment for immoderate transgression committed by an amerciable alien that is punishable by much than 1 twelvemonth from a maximum of 2 years to a minimum of 5 years.

Illegals who are removed and past reenter the state illegally tin besides look up to 10 years successful situation nether the law. 

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Inmates stay successful a compartment astatine the Counter-Terrorism Confinement Center prison, wherever hundreds of members of the MS-13 and the 18th Street gangs are being held, successful Tecoluca, El Salvador, Jan. 27, 2025 (Marvin Recinos/AFP via Getty Images)

For amerciable felons who person been antecedently removed from the state and returned again to perpetrate much crimes, the measure would summation the punishment to a minimum of 10 years and up to beingness successful prison.

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Knott explained that the measure inactive leaves flexibility to national authorities, leaving the enactment of deportation connected the array portion simultaneously expanding the ineligible penalties disposable to erase the incentives for illegally entering the state to perpetrate crimes.

He said " flexibility is what instrumentality enforcement needs to truly combat this connected a person-by-person basis."

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The U.S. Capitol Dec. 12, 2024, successful Washington D.C.  (Fox News/Paul Steinhauser)

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"The partition is important. Deportations are important, and we indispensable support those. But we besides indispensable adjacent the spread successful the instrumentality truthful that, careless of who's president, we person the tools to combat the amerciable migrant criminals who inflict truthful overmuch symptom connected this country," said Knott.

"Immigration should beryllium a nett payment to our country," helium added. "If we don't punish those who privation to travel present to perpetrate crimes, we volition ne'er person a steadfast immigration system again. If we don't hole this occupation now, we mightiness not person the accidental to bash it."