Illegal immigrant murderers could face death penalty under new GOP bill

FIRST ON FOX: A House Republican is seeking to ensure illegal immigrants who commit murder in the U.S. are eligible for the death penalty in all 50 states.

Rep. Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, is introducing a bill on Thursday called the Justice for Victims of Illegal Alien Murder Act, which would establish a new class of federal criminal offenses specifically directed at convicted murderers who are in the country illegally.

It would make those criminals eligible for life in prison or the death penalty if convicted of first-degree murder.

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Such a bill would strengthen federal prosecutors' claims of jurisdiction over such crimes, even in states where the death penalty is abolished.

"We can hold those individuals accountable at the federal level because they're here illegally. And here we are with that legislation," Luttrell told Fox News Digital on Wednesday.

He said part of the impetus for the legislation was a case in his home state of Texas in 2023 when a man who had been deported multiple times was arrested for killing five people in the U.S.

"That guy shouldn't have been here as well. He had been deported a couple times, snuck back across the border, and now this happened. It's time for us to step in and do this," Luttrell said.

It's also spurred partially by President Donald Trump, who signed an executive order in January mandating the death penalty for illegal immigrants who commit "all crimes of a severity demanding its use" and for people who murder police officers.

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Luttrell said he's hopeful at least some Democrats will support the bill as well.

"I do not run away from those conversations at all, because I think it's necessary. That shows the American people that we're working together on this. The American public voted for this administration because of the border," he said.

Luttrell's bill is backed by seven House Republican co-sponsors, including Republican Study Committee Chair August Pfluger, R-Texas.