Stop Illegal Entry Act of 2025

Floor Speech

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Mrs. BICE. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my legislation, H.R. 3486, the Stop Illegal Entry Act.

Let me first start by saying I think it is rich that we stand here on the House floor and are lectured by the other side of the aisle about immigration issues when they had the last 4 years to actually address this problem. They want to deflect, as my colleague from Kansas mentioned. Let's talk about all the other things that have been happening in the country instead of the actual issue at hand.

Under the Biden administration, over 10 million illegal immigrants entered this country. This includes countless numbers of murderers, rapists, child traffickers, smugglers, and individuals from countries that support terrorism. Customs and Border Patrol caught 400 individuals on the terrorist watch list, leaving us the question of who else was allowed to enter this country undetected.

That is why the Stop Illegal Entry Act is so important. The legislation seeks to discourage migrants from coming to the U.S. illegally and keeps criminal aliens who disregard Federal immigration law out of our American communities.

It is vital that law enforcement officers and Border Patrol officers have the tools they need to hold dangerous criminals accountable and safeguard our communities, and this legislation does just that.

President Trump has delivered on his promise to secure the border, and this legislation provides the tools needed to uphold our laws and remove dangerous criminals.

On that note, I was also encouraged to see a statement of administrative support from the Office of Management and Budget stating that if the legislation were presented to the President, his advisers would recommend that he sign it into law.

Finally, I am not an attorney, but I thank my friend, Congressman Knott, for his support in helping get this legislation through the Judiciary Committee. As a former prosecutor, I know he understands the importance of strong policies that safeguard our communities and empower law enforcement.

Madam Speaker, I include in the Record the Statement of Administration Policy. Statement of Administration Policy

H.R. 3486--the Stop Illegal Entry Act of 2025--Rep. Bice, R-OK, and five cosponsors

The Administration strongly supports passage of H.R. 3486, the Stop Illegal Entry Act of 2025. The previous administration allowed an unprecedented invasion of illegal immigration, resulting in the influx of limitless criminal aliens--including murderers, rapists, child traffickers and smugglers, drug dealers, and more--entering the United States and further enriching foreign terrorist cartels. President Trump took immediate action to seal and secure the border. Now, to ensure long term border security and deter the most heinous illegal criminal aliens from attempting to re-enter the United States, there must be stronger criminal penalties to prevent illegal re-entry following removal.

H.R. 3486 will help discourage the most dangerous criminals from trying to enter, or re-enter, our country by increasing severe criminal and financial penalties. Specifically, the bill would raise the maximum penalty from two years to five years of imprisonment for any illegal alien convicted of reentering the United States.

The best deterrent against these violent criminals attempting re-entry is the possibility of lengthy jail time. Seventy percent of the aliens charged for illegal reentry in 2023 had criminal records. For example, an off-duty Customs and Border Patrol officer was shot in the face in New York City in July by an illegal alien who was deported and reentered under the previous administration. Last December, a Guatemalan illegal alien, who was previously deported under the first Trump Administration and later illegally re- entered, was indicted for lighting a woman on fire and burning her to death on a New York City subway.

Additionally, H.R. 3486 cracks down on the smuggling of illicit drugs across the border, often through cartel organizations, by imposing the possibility of up to fifteen years in prison for illegal aliens convicted of three or more misdemeanors involving drugs or harm against others, or for illegal aliens who attempt to reenter after being removed three times. An illegal alien who commits a felony would face the chance of life in prison.

If H.R. 3486 were presented to the President in its current form, his advisors would recommend that he sign it into law.

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Mrs. BICE. Madam Speaker, I urge the passage of this important legislation to hold those accountable that are here illegally.

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