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 measure drew unanimous support from Republicans who voted, as well as from 36 Democrats.
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.
