Republican Reps. Randy Fine of Florida and Brandon Gill of Texas are introducing a bill on Friday, aiming to heighten criminal penalties for those who interfere with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations, the Daily Caller News Foundation has learned.

The Initiating Criminal Enforcement Act (ICE Act) seeks to amend Section 274 of the Immigration Nationality Act to enforce up to five years in prison and fines to those who knowingly impede upon an ICE operation or harm an ICE agent. If the law is to be enacted, individuals who interfere with ICE doing their jobs would be subject to the same criminal penalties as those who harbor or aid illegal immigrants.

“Congress should not tolerate foreigners who torch cop cars or attack our law enforcement officers. That’s why I’m introducing the ICE Act. There should be no difference between a human trafficker smuggling a criminal alien and rioters who interfere with the lawful actions of ICE agents. They both are aiding criminal aliens, and both should be treated the same,” Fine told the DCNF.

“There must be increased consequences for radicals who impede U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement deportation efforts,” Gill said in a statement to the DCNF. “I am proud to co-lead the ICE Act to bring needed accountability to anyone trying to help illegal aliens.”

The ICE Act is being rolled out against the backdrop of the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles which had erupted in early June. As the protests escalated, reports of rioters throwing rocks at ICE agents along with other forms of anti-law enforcement violence began to surface.

However, even in light of recent events, Fine still does not think the bill will get any support from Democrats, the congressman told the DCNF.

Fine equated the bill to legislation he helped pass in Florida while serving in the state’s House of Representatives in 2023 when people were passing out antisemitic flyers and littering people’s driveways with them. Fine said once people faced consequences for littering due to a Florida state law, nobody left flyers on the ground anymore.

“What’s clear is the consequences of interfering with ICE are not enough to stop people from doing it,” Fine said. “We pass bills like this not to arrest people. The reason we pass bills like this is to stop people from behaving in the conduct that they are.”

The House also voted 215-195 to pass Republican California Rep. Young Kim’s resolution to condemn the Los Angeles riots on Friday.

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