Republican Texas Senator John Cornyn introduced a bill on Thursday seeking to codify an executive order that instituted the death penalty for illegal immigrants convicted of murdering American citizens.
The proposed legislation, titled the “Justice for American Victims of Illegal Aliens Act,” aims to amend Title 18 of the United States Code by adding a specific aggravating factor for capital sentencing.
According to the text of the bill, Section 3592(c) would be updated to include:
“(17) ILLEGAL ALIEN.—The defendant is an alien who—
(A) came to, entered, or remains in the United States in violation of Federal law; and
(B) has been convicted of killing, attempting to kill, or conspiring to kill a United States citizen.”
The introduction of this bill signals an effort to enshrine into law a policy previously pursued through executive action.
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The executive order that the bill seeks to codify, signed previously by President Trump, asserted that “capital punishment is an essential tool for deterring and punishing those who would commit the most heinous crimes and acts of lethal violence against American citizens.”
The order further stated the policy of the United States is “to ensure that the laws that authorize capital punishment are respected and faithfully implemented, and to counteract the politicians and judges who subvert the law by obstructing and preventing the execution of capital sentences.”
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