WASHINGTON, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- U.S. House Republicans have introduced a bill they say would speed up the deportation of illegal immigrants.
Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., who co-sponsored the measure along with 20 other GOP House members Thursday, said his bill would require immigration officers to immediately deport illegal immigrants who have not been in the country continuously for four years, or when they have committed a crime or pose a threat to national security, The Hill reported. It would also limit exceptions.
The bill would go farther than the Obama administration does in its new policy, which focuses on immigrants who are a national security threat or engage in criminal activity.
"Laws are meant to be followed, and not ignored for convenience or political advantage," Hunter said last month when discussing his pending legislation.
"If someone is in the U.S. illegally, then that person is subject to deportation under the law, plain and simple. What the administration is doing is sending a loud message across our borders that we are not serious about enforcing our nation's immigration laws while backdoor channels remain wide open to millions of others."
