Amid the civil unrest in Los Angeles, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., introduced two bills to increase punishments for violent rioters.
“Rioters of any immigration status who assault ICE officers and engage in acts of violence should face stiff consequences,” Cotton said. “My bills make clear that Americans will not tolerate lawless rioting in support of illegal immigration.”
The No Visas for Violent Criminals Act would immediately terminate any visa and require deportation within 60 days of any noncitizen convicted of obstructing highways, roads, bridges, or tunnels, their conduct at a protest or any offense involving the defacement or destruction of federal property.
The Mitigating Extreme Lawlessness Act would increase the maximum punishment for participating in a riot from five to 10 years, establish a mandatory minimum of one year for an act of violence as part of a riot and establish a mandatory minimum of one year, and eliminate the maximum penalty for assaulting a federal law enforcement officer or uniformed service member.
Cotton has been critical of California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s handling of the protests, which erupted over the weekend over immigration laws.
“At least the BLM rioters were American citizens. In LA we have violent *illegal aliens* waving foreign flags,” Cotton wrote. “Yet Gavin Newsom stands in solidarity with them. What kind of governor blames police officers and the National Guard for ‘inciting’ this violence? Your policies created this mess. And California deserves a lot better.”
In an email from Cotton’s office, obtained by Axios, the senator said he believes the protests could be a winning issue for Republicans.
“This gives us an opportunity to remind Americans how extreme the Democratic Party is on immigration,” the email reads. “Americans have a choice between Republicans’ law & order vs. the Democrats’ car-burning, illegal alien rioters.”
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