• A House-passed immigration bill would make DUI convictions grounds for deportation of noncitizens, including green card holders.
• The legislation, now before the Senate, expands inadmissibility and deportability rules under federal immigration law.
• Advocates warn it could upend families and sweep in long-past or minor conduct, while supporters say it protects communities.

WASHINGTON, D.C., TDR — The Protect Our Communities from DUIs Act has sparked sharp debate as it moves through Congress, with critics warning it could dramatically expand deportation triggers for noncitizens. The bill, which overwhelmingly passed the House in June, would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to make a single DUI conviction — or even an admission of impaired driving — grounds for inadmissibility or deportation.

The measure could apply even to lawful permanent residents with green cards, international students, or H-1B workers. Supporters argue the legislation is about public safety, while critics say it risks breaking apart families over past mistakes that were not previously deportable offenses.

Why It Matters

The legislation alters decades of immigration standards by making DUI convictions — typically handled as misdemeanors — decisive in deportation. Similar shifts in the past, such as Republican crackdowns on crime-related immigration and expanded ICE operations, have triggered waves of detentions that strained resources and detention capacity.

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Data shows growing arrests of noncitizens without criminal convictions, raising questions about proportionality, oversight, and humanitarian protections.

President Donald Trump has long emphasized deporting “the worst of the worst,” but critics note his administration has also backed measures affecting nonviolent immigrants and those with minor offenses.

The Bill’s Path

The original bill (H.R.6976), authored by Rep. Barry Moore of Alabama, passed the House with broad Republican support. In the Senate, Sen. Bill Hagerty of Tennessee introduced companion legislation backed by key GOP senators including Marsha Blackburn, Tom Cotton, and Marco Rubio, now serving as Secretary of State.

The proposal expands inadmissibility to anyone convicted of, or admitting to, DUI conduct, and expands deportability regardless of how local jurisdictions classify the offense.

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Supporters say this aligns with other Republican public-safety initiatives, while critics liken it to overly broad immigration crackdowns that sweep in rehabilitated immigrants.

Supporters’ Case

Backers inside the administration frame the bill as common sense. ICE data shows more than 43,000 DUI arrests of noncitizens between 2018 and 2023.

Former Senate candidate Peter Lumaj told Newsweek that DUI convictions are inconsistent with the “good moral character” standard required for citizenship. “Day after day, we hear that non-Americans are causing injuries and deaths… Passing this bill would not make the system more chaotic, but it would keep our communities safe.”

Hagerty echoed that sentiment, tying it to broader claims of rising immigrant-related crime. “It is unconscionable that illegal immigrants that break our laws and endanger our communities are allowed to remain in the U.S.,” he said in February.

Critics’ Concerns

Immigration attorneys warn the language could reach too far. Landerholm Immigration cautioned clients: “One of the most alarming parts of this bill is that you don’t even need a conviction… If you’ve ever admitted to drinking and driving, that alone could make you inadmissible.”

Los Angeles attorney Joseph Tsang predicted the measure will eventually pass but “cause lots of grief for many green card holders and their families.” On social media, he warned that “a DUI could get green card holders deported, even from ten years ago.”

Advocacy groups argue the bill ignores due process and rehabilitation, likening it to past measures where minor drug offenses led to disproportionate deportations.

What Happens Next

The Senate is reviewing the bill, but no timetable has been set for a vote. Passage would require President Trump’s signature. Critics are already preparing legal challenges on grounds that the bill’s broad reach violates due process and equal protection.

Whether the Protect Our Communities from DUIs Act becomes law may hinge on whether lawmakers view it as a targeted safety measure — or a sweeping expansion of deportation authority.

Will this measure keep communities safer, or will it break apart families over long-past mistakes?

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