House Democrats vote against deporting immigrants who harm police dogs, horses

Key Takeaways

• The House passed the BOWOW Act (Bill to Outlaw Wounding of Official Working Animals) 228–190; most Democrats opposed it and 15 crossed party lines.
• The bill would make any noncitizen convicted of—or who admits to—harming law enforcement animals deportable and inadmissible to the U.S.
• Democrats argued existing immigration law already covers criminal removability and raised due-process concerns about removals based on admissions rather than convictions.
• Supporters cited a high-profile Dulles Airport incident; it has been reported that an Egyptian traveler kicked a K‑9 during a luggage inspection and later pleaded guilty.
• The measure faces slim chances in the Senate and would not change USCIS processing times or fee structures; it targets removability and admissibility determinations handled by DHS and immigration courts.

What the bill would do

The BOWOW Act, introduced by Rep. Ken Calvert (R‑Calif.), would add harming animals used in law enforcement to the set of grounds that make a noncitizen removable (deportable) and inadmissible (barred from entering). Under current immigration law, "noncitizen" covers a broad set of people including visa holders, lawful permanent residents (green card holders), refugees and asylees — not U.S. citizens. Deportable means DHS (Department of Homeland Security) can initiate removal proceedings; inadmissible means a person can be denied entry or a visa. The bill’s reported trigger language includes convictions and admissions, which is why lawmakers raised alarms about how immigration officials would apply it in practice.

Lawmakers' debate and legal concerns

House passage was largely along party lines, 228–190, with all Republicans who voted in favor and most Democrats opposed. Supporters pointed to an incident at Dulles Airport: it has been reported that an Egyptian traveler kicked a police K‑9 while CBP (Customs and Border Protection) was inspecting luggage, pleaded guilty to malicious assault on a police animal, and subsequently returned to Egypt. Opponents said the offense is already covered by existing criminal-removability provisions and warned the bill could permit removals based on an admission before a formal conviction, raising due‑process and constitutional concerns. Immigration lawyers note that adding specific deportability grounds can expand discretionary enforcement and shift cases into removal proceedings handled by ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and immigration courts.

What this means for immigrants now

If the BOWOW Act became law, a wide range of noncitizens could face removal or be denied admission for harming or admitting to harming a law-enforcement animal — from short‑term visitors to green‑card holders. It would not change USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) fees or processing backlogs, but it could increase the number of new enforcement cases and hearings in immigration courts, lengthening some cases and raising stakes for plea decisions in criminal or administrative encounters. For someone currently in the immigration process: avoid admissions of wrongdoing without legal counsel; admissions outside a court can carry immigration consequences. The bill is expected to stall in the Democratic-led Senate, so immediate legal change is unlikely, but the vote signals continued congressional interest in tying criminal conduct to immigration status.

Source: Original Article