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House GOP plans to impose harsher penalties on repeat border crossers

By Anna Giaritelli May 29, 2025 | updated 2 months ago

House Republicans are fast-tracking a bill that would dramatically raise the punishment for illegal immigrants caught attempting to enter the United States after being deported.

The Stopping Illegal Entries Act was passed out of the House Judiciary Committee last week after being tweaked to include language from Rep. Brad Knott’s (R-NC) legislation titled the Punishing Illegal Immigrant Felons Act, which includes penalties for repeat border crossers and criminal illegal immigrants.

Knott, a freshman on the House Homeland Security Committee, introduced his legislation three weeks ago. It was then referred to the Judiciary Committee and ultimately combined with the Stopping Illegal Entries Act, originally introduced by Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-OK).

Since then, the House GOP has moved quickly to get the bill through committee and ready for the House floor.

The bill would be another tool for the Trump administration to use in its crackdown on illegal immigration and cross-border crime, as it would deter deported individuals from returning to the country as the Trump administration tries to carry out its mass deportation operation.

“There’s obviously a great need for the wall, for deportations, for deployment of technologies, et cetera, but those alone are not going to be very effective,” said Knott, a former federal prosecutor. “We cannot round up 15 to 25 million people who are here illegally.”

“A very big piece that no one is talking about yet anyway is the deterrence factor that my bill addresses,” Knott said. “If you are asked to leave the country, come back a second time, we’re not having that anymore.”

Rep. Troy Downing (R-MT), a cosponsor who lives on the U.S.’s northern border, said increasing penalties was long overdue.

“When it comes to combating illegal immigration, deterrence is the best form of prevention,” Downing said in a statement. “For too long, a lack of repercussions for repeat offenders at the border drove encounters to record levels.”

Presently, illegal immigrants caught reentering the country a second time or any time thereafter face a federal felony charge that is punishable by up to two years in federal prison. The average sentence length is 12 months, Knott said.

However, not all cases are referred for prosecution to the Justice Department.

The bill would change the Immigration and Nationality Act to punish second-time border crossers with up to 10 years in prison.

Illegal immigrants convicted of a state or federal felony while in the U.S. but who have not been deported would face a minimum five-year sentence.

BORDER PATROL USING TECHNOLOGY TO ‘WALL’ OFF CANADIAN BORDER

Illegal immigrants who committed a felony and were deported before returning to the U.S. would face between 10 years and life in prison.

“We have to continue telling folks, ‘This is why we need a law.’ If Kamala Harris were to win, you know what would happen? You would have an immediate reversion back to the open border policies,” Knott said. “If that open border is achieved, it’s going to be much less pervasive if law enforcement has my bill to lean on, right? Because she cannot undo a statute.”

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