WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) introduced H.R. 3859, the No Safe Harbor for Riot Offenders Act — known as the RIOT Act — to crack down on violent, non-citizen rioters who attack law enforcement officers or vandalize public property during riots and declared emergencies. The legislation mandates deportation and permanent inadmissibility for non-citizens, including illegal aliens, DACA recipients, and green card holders convicted of such offenses, and requires that they be detained throughout removal proceedings.
The RIOT Act amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to close existing loopholes that allow violent non-citizens to remain in the country, even after targeting law enforcement or causing destruction during civil unrest.
Crenshaw’s bill follows the violent riots in Los Angeles and other cities, where law enforcement officers were attacked and government property destroyed, sometimes by individuals unlawfully present in the United States.
“America is a nation of laws, not lawlessness,” said Congressman Crenshaw. “If you’re in this country as a guest and you assault a police officer or destroy public property during a riot, you’ve made your choice. The RIOT Act ensures there are real consequences: mandatory detention, deportation, and permanent removal. We protect peaceful protest with the Constitution. But if you use that moment to attack a cop or burn a patrol car — and you’re not a U.S. citizen — then your time here is over.”
Key Provisions of the RIOT Act:
- Makes non-citizens deportable if convicted of assaulting law enforcement, U.S. military personnel, or vandalizing public property during a riot or declared emergency.
- Applies to illegal aliens, DACA recipients, and lawful permanent residents.
- Bars deported individuals from ever reentering the United States.
- Triggers mandatory enforcement during any federal, state, or local state of emergency.
Crenshaw’s bill is joined by the following original cosponsors:
- Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX)
- Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL)
- Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA)
- Rep. Vern Buchanan (R-FL)
- Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC)
- Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX)
- Rep. John McGuire (R-VA)
- Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX)
- Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-WI)
- Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL)
- Rep. Mark Messmer (R-IA)
- Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT)
- Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA)
- Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL)
- Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-NC)
- Rep. Brendan Gill (R-TX)
- Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY)
- Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN)