Nearly 200 House Dems vote against hiking criminal penalties for illegal immigrant felons

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Nearly 200 House Democrats opposed legislation that will target criminal penalties for illegal immigrants.

A bill called the "Stop Illegal Entry Act," led by Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., is aimed at hiking penalties for both people who enter the U.S. illegally and those who commit felonies after that illegal entry. It passed the House in a 226-197 vote on Thursday, just before lawmakers left Washington for the weekend.

All 197 "no" votes were Democrats, while 11 Democrats voted with Republicans to pass the bill.

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"The Biden Administration let over 10 million illegal immigrants into the country and failed to prosecute those who defied U.S. immigration law. These individuals included people from countries designated as state sponsors of terror, with 400 illegal aliens on the Terrorist Watch List being encountered at the border. We must deter future illegal immigration and give our law enforcement and border patrol officers the tools they need to hold dangerous criminals accountable," Bice told Fox News Digital.

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., the No. 3 House GOP leader, criticized the Democrats who voted against the bill.

"House Democrats seem to still be taking their marching orders from Joe Biden and his failed Border Czar Kamala Harris. The fact that Democrats voted against commonsense penalties for people entering our nation illegally just goes to show that they’ve learned nothing since November," Emmer told Fox News Digital. "They are continuing to double down on their pro-illegal alien, anti-American agenda."

As the Minnesota Republican pointed out, border security and illegal immigration proved potent issues for the GOP in the 2024 election.

Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-Okla., led the legislation in the House. (Anna Moneymaker)

Bice’s bill would mandate a sentence of five years to life in prison for someone who illegally enters the U.S. and is subsequently convicted of a felony. 

It would also increase the maximum prison sentence for illegal entry from two years to five years, while increasing the maximum term for someone who comes illegally, despite being previously denied entry from two years to 10 years.

Among the Democrats who supported the bill is moderate Rep. Laura Gillen, D-N.Y., who called the legislation "commonsense" in a statement to the media.

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"Americans overwhelmingly agree that violent criminals without legal status have no place in our country and should be held accountable to the full extent of our nation’s immigration laws," Gillen said. 

"The previous administration’s inaction on the border led to a full-blown crisis that drained taxpayers’ wallets and made our communities less safe."

The remaining 10 Democrats who voted for the bill are: Reps. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, Don Davis, D-N.C., Jared Golden, D-Maine, Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas, Adam Gray, D-Calif., Kristen McDonald Rivet, D-Mich., Frank Mrvan, D-Ind., Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., and Gabe Vasquez, D-N.M.

Fox News Radio's Ryan Schmelz contributed to this report.

Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.

Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to [email protected]