House Republicans have rejected an amendment to their budget bill planning that would have blocked Immigration and Customs Enforcement from detaining or deporting U.S. citizens for any reason.
The amendment to the legislation President Donald Trump has referred to as "one big beautiful bill" was introduced by Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash. and sought to block immigration officials from using federal money to deport U.S. citizens, but was killed in the House Judiciary Committee by Republicans, reports Newsweek.
The legislation was proposed after Trump last month teased the idea of shipping U.S. citizens who are convicted of violent crimes to El Salvador.
The administration has been accused of deporting migrants without the use of due process, with the Supreme Court ruling in April that deportees should be given due process through the courts.
Trump told reporters on Air Force One that there are some "horrible criminals" who are from the United States, and added that he is "all for" deporting them, but he doesn't "know what the law says on that."
He also floated the idea while meeting with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele in the Oval Office.
"If he would take them, I would be honored to give them," Trump said. "I don't know what the law says on that, but I can't imagine the law would say anything different. If they can house these horrible criminals for a lot less money than it costs us, I'm all for it, but I would only do so according to the law."
Jayapal told the Judiciary Committee Wednesday that her amendment is "simple" and that she hoped it would have bipartisan support.
"It simply states that none of the funds in this bill may be used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain or deport U.S. citizens," she said. "Whether you're a Democrat or Republican, I hope we can all agree that U.S. citizens should never be detained by ICE or any agency conducting civil immigration enforcement. They certainly should not be deported."
Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., commented Wednesday that it is "bat***t crazy" that Democrats felt they needed to introduce an amendment against deporting U.S. citizens.
"This should not even be a discussion," he said on the House floor, reports Mediaite. "It is not even a question. U.S. citizens cannot be deported by ICE. It's the law, it's the Constitution. I will be astounded if Republicans vote no on this."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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