At first, we thought it was a satirical story in the Onion.
But then we looked again and realized it wasn’t a parody. Instead, the “Violence Against Women By Illegal Aliens Act” is an actual bill in the U.S. House of Representatives. And it is authored by our very own U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C.
So we stepped back and tried to give our hometown congresswoman the benefit of the doubt. After all, violence against women is a serious problem. And as a survivor herself, Mace speaks to the issue with real credibility. Maybe, we thought, she’s onto something here.
Unfortunately, as it turns out, she’s not. But before we get to that, we’ll let her explain her thinking.
“[The Violence Against Women By Illegal Aliens Act] is about common sense — a trait sorely lacking in Washington these days,” Mace wrote in a recent op-ed in The Post and Courier.
“This bill ensures predators who pose a threat and have been previously convicted of sexual assault, domestic violence and other heinous crimes are turned away or immediately deported. The legislation makes sure those who pose a threat are kicked out before they can cause more harm.”
Sounds reasonable, right? After all, illegal immigrants who commit terrible crimes should be kicked out of the country. That’s not just common sense – it’s justice.
But here’s the thing: Illegal immigrants can already be deported for committing crimes, starting with the crime of being here illegally. In fact, more than 200,000 of them were shown the door for that very reason in 2023 alone. And with regard to the kinds of violent offenses Mace is talking about, even legal immigrants can be deported for committing those kinds of crimes.
In short, the bill is unnecessary. And what’s worse, experts say its text is so vague and poorly drafted that it’s likely to get survivors– yes, survivors – of sexual violence tossed out of the country. In fact, that’s why the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence opposes the bill .
It’s also why critics correctly argue that Mace’s legislation isn’t really legislation at all. Rather, it’s what practitioners of the dark art of politics call a “messaging bill” – that is, a bill whose only purpose is to communicate a clear message to voters.
And in this case, we’re sad to say, Mace’s message to her constituents couldn’t be clearer: “I think you’re dumb. And I think you’ll fall for this pandering idea that really isn’t worth the paper it is printed on so I can look tough.”
We don’t believe voters are stupid. But one thing is certain. If we keep electing politicians like Nancy Mace who shovel this kind of ludicrous, ridiculous legislation because they prefer the bright lights of cable news studios to the hard work of solving real problems, the next “It’s Illegal for Illegal Immigrants to be Illegal in Illegal Ways Act” will never be further away than the nearest TV green room or campaign season.
Editor’s Note: The Violence Against Women By Illegal Aliens Act passed the House on Sept. 18 in a 266-158 vote, but is not expected to become law.
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