Sixth District Republican Congressman Ben Cline introduced the Notify ICE Act on Wednesday. The bill would require that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement be notified when an illegal immigrant is denied the ability to purchase a firearm through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.
Cline had previously introduced the language as an amendment to background check legislation considered by the House this week, but Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee and the House Rules Committee refused to allow the amendment to come to the House floor.
“The FBI reported just last month that the National Instant Criminal Background Check System had nearly 8 million people listed as an ‘illegal/unlawful’ alien,” Cline said. “Additionally, illegal aliens rank as the number one prohibited category in the FBI’s NICS Indices. During floor consideration of H.R. 8, Republicans offered my amendment as a Motion to Recommit, which passed the House with bipartisan support. My bill connects NICS with Immigration and Customs Enforcement so this information can be communicated to the agency tasked with enforcing our immigration laws. This creates a mechanism to enforce laws which are already on the books and keep guns out of the hands of people who are in this country illegally. H.R. 8 remains misguided legislation, which I strongly oppose. For this reason, I have introduced the Notify ICE Act as a standalone bill and look forward to its swift, bipartisan passage.”
Wednesday’s Motion to Recommit passed the House by a vote of 220-209, with 29 Democrats joining Republicans to support the motion.
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