It's no secret that Democrats are finding themselves on the losing issue of illegal immigration, which meanwhile remains President Donald Trump's best issue. It was an issue Trump was leading on, easily, during the 2024 campaign and whether he was running agains then President Joe Biden or then Vice President Kamala Harris. The Biden-Harris administration left behind a disastrous situation thanks to open borders, and it will take plenty for Trump and congressional Republicans to get it fixed. While the House took a step in the right direction on Thursday night, 160 Democrats were trending for their shocking vote.
The trend of "160 Democrats" over X references the majority of Democrats who voted against a bill that would involve deporting illegal immigrants convicted of drunk driving. All 209 Republicans voted in favor of such a bill, but just 37 Democrats voted for it.
Bill HR 875 known as Jeremy and Angel Seay and Sergeant Brandon Mendoza Protect Our Communities from DUIs Act of 2025 was introduced by Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL), and unfortunately there's actual tragedies necessitating such a bill. Moore was among those posting about "160 Democrats" and how on Thursday night they had "just voted against protecting American families from illegals who drive under the influence," with other House Republicans also joining in on the trend.
160 Democrats just voted against protecting American families from illegals who drive under the influence. pic.twitter.com/KJgmX37VN1
— Rep. Barry Moore (@RepBarryMoore) June 26, 2025
— Rep. Barry Moore (@RepBarryMoore) June 26, 2025
Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) put out a press release about such a bill, which mentions who the bill is named after--newlyweds killed in 2009 and an Arizona police officer in 2014. It also includes a question for House Democrats [emphasis added]:
Every day in the United States, around 37 people die due to a drunk driver – that’s one person every 39 minutes. Drunk driving is a dangerous crime that not only puts the driver at risk, but everyone else on the road.
On June 13, 2009, Jeremy and Angel Seay, newlyweds from Alabama, were killed when an illegal alien crashed into their motorcycle while driving after having been drinking that night. In May of 2014, Arizona police officer Brandon Mendoza was killed on his way home after completing his shift when an illegal alien with a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit crashed into him.
With the seriousness of the crime and the potential deadly consequences, you would think that if an illegal immigrant was caught driving under the influence, they would be deported and barred from reentering the country – unfortunately, however, that is not always the case. While aliens are charged and convicted with DUI and DUI-related crimes, our immigration law does not explicitly state that driving while intoxicated is grounds for inadmissibility or removability.
In 2022, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 175 illegal immigrants who had multiple DUI convictions during a two month national operation.It’s common sense: Congress should uphold the rule of law and deport illegal immigrants who threaten the safety of our communities and pose a dangerous risk on the roads. American families deserve our protection, and it's our responsibility to deport and bar these migrants to keep our streets safe.
H.R. 875, the Jeremy and Angel Seay and Sergeant Brandon Mendoza Protect Our Communities from DUIs Act of 2025, introduced by Rep. Barry Moore, makes driving while intoxicated or impaired a deportable offense for illegal immigrants and grounds to bar them from entering the country.House Republicans are standing up for the safety of our communities by fighting to deport illegal migrants who fail to uphold our laws. Will Democrats join us in defending our roads, or continue turning a blind eye to the needs of the American people?
Those Democrats voting in favor of such a bill included Reps. Jake Auchincloss (MA), Ed Case (HI), Herb Conaway (NJ), Henry Cuellar (TX), Sharice Davids (KS), Don Davis (NC), Chris Deluzio (PA), Laura Gillen (NY), Jared Golden (ME), Josh Gottheimer (NJ), Adam Gray (CA), Jim Hines (CT), Marcy Kaptur (OH), Bill Keating (MA), Greg Landsman (OH), Susie Lee (NV), Mike Levin (CA), Stephen Lynch (MA), John Mannion (NY), Kristen McDonald Rivet (MI), Joe Morelle (NY), Frank Mrvan (IN), Donald Norcross (NJ), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA), Scott Peters (CA), Josh Riley (NY), Deborah Ross (NC), Patrick Ryan (NY), Brad Schneider (IL), Hillary Scholten (MI), Terri Sewell (AL), Eric Sorensen (IL), Greg Stanton (AZ), Tom Suozzi (NY), Eugene Vindman (VA), and George Whitesides (CA).
Some of these Democrats are in safe seats, and thus perhaps voted for such a bill because, as Scalise put it in his press release, it's "common sense." But still others are in vulnerable seats. Those names who are in bold are seats that the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC)'s targeting for the 2026 midterms.
There are still many more on the NRCC target list who voted against the bill or did not vote. Reps. Josh Harder (CA), Adam Gray (CA), Derek Tran (CA), Dave Min (CA), Darren Soto (FL), Jared Moskowitz (FL), Chris Pappas (NH), Nellie Pou (NJ), Gabe Vasquez (NM), Dina Titus (NV), and Vicente Gonzalez (TX) are targeted members who voted against the bill, while Reps. Steven Horsford (NV) and Emilia Sykes (OH) did not vote.
