WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) joined U.S. Senator John Cornyn and several of their colleagues to introduce the Justice for American Victims of Illegal Aliens Act, which would codify President Trump’s Executive Order subjecting illegal immigrants who kill American citizens to the death penalty. Earlier today, Sen. Tuberville joined Sen. Cornyn, Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) for a press conference about the bill.
“Over the past four years, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris welcomed more than 10 million illegal immigrants into this country with open arms,” said Sen. Tuberville. “As a direct result, innocent Americans like Laken Riley and Rachel Morin have lost their lives. It’s simple: if you’re in this country illegally and you murder an American citizen, you should face the death penalty. President Trump has essentially stopped the crisis at our southern border. Republicans in Congress must do our part to ensure no more American blood is shed at the hands of criminals who shouldn’t be here in the first place.”
“Violent predators who enter our country illegally and brutally murder American citizens should be subject to the death penalty as a consequence of their heinous actions,” said Sen. Cornyn. “By enshrining President Trump’s Executive Order into law, this legislation would protect the American people, make our country safe again, and ensure no future President can singlehandedly undo this consequence for taking innocent lives.”
Joining Senators Tuberville and Cornyn in cosponsoring the bill are Senators Jim Banks (R-IN), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Steve Daines (R-MT), Jim Justice (R-WV), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Jim Risch (R-ID), Tim Scott (R-SC), and Thom Tillis (R-NC).
Watch the full press conference here or Sen. Tuberville’s remarks here.
BACKGROUND:
Under the Biden administration’s reckless open-border policy and failure to enforce the law, millions of illegal immigrants flooded into the United States, creating the worst immigration crisis in history. After entering the U.S., many illegal immigrants subsequently committed crimes, including violent felonies and murder. For example:
- August 5, 2023 – An illegal immigrant from El Salvador attacked, raped, and murdered 37-year old Rachel Morin, a mother of five, in Bel Air, Maryland. The perpetrator had previously attacked a 9-year old girl and her mother in Los Angeles.
- December 4, 2023 – An illegal immigrant from Mexico stabbed 16-year old Lizbeth Medina to death and left her body in a bath tub in Edna, Texas.
- February 22, 2024 – An illegal immigrant from Venezuela murdered 22-year old Laken Riley as she went for a run in Athens, Georgia.
- March 22, 2024 – An illegal immigrant from Mexico shot and killed 25-year old Ruby Garcia while in her car, then left her body on the side of a highway in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
- June 17, 2024 – Two illegal immigrants from Venezuela kidnapped, sexually assaulted, and strangled 12-year old Jocelyn Nungaray to death in Houston, Texas.
- January 26, 2025 – Two illegal immigrants, one from Ecuador and the other from Venezuela, bound, gagged, and beat 63-year old George Levin to death in Chicago, Illinois.
- March 12, 2025 – An illegal immigrant from Honduras choked 52-year old Camillia Williams, a mother of five and grandmother, to death, then dumped her body in the woods in Marietta, Georgia.
As President Trump highlighted, since America’s founding, capital punishment has been an essential tool for deterring and punishing murder. When illegal immigrants come into the United States and murder law-abiding American citizens, they should face the death penalty. The Justice for American Victims of Illegal Aliens Act would ensure that this deterrent is applied to predators illegally crossing our border and committing violent crimes here.
The Justice for American Victims of Illegal Aliens Act would:
- Amend the Criminal Code to create a new aggravating factor for illegal immigrants who murder U.S. citizens
- Help direct juries to administer the death penalty when an illegal immigrant murders a U.S. citizen
- Fully implement and permanently codify President Trump’s Jan. 20, 2025 Executive Order, “Restoring the Death Penalty and Protecting Public Safety,” specifically Section 3(b)(i) of the Executive Order, which states that the “Attorney General shall, where consistent with applicable law, pursue Federal jurisdiction and seek the death penalty regardless of other factors for every federal capital crime involving … [a] capital crime committed by an alien illegally present in this country.”
Senator Tommy Tuberville represents Alabama in the United States Senate and is a member of the Senate Armed Services, Agriculture, Veterans’ Affairs, HELP and Aging Committees.
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