Nearly 30 vulnerable House Democrats voted for a bill Wednesday to deport illegal immigrants who commit sex crimes, signaling a shift in the party’s focus on the migrant crisis as the November elections draw near.
The Republican-led bill passed 266 to 158, with 51 Democrats voting with GOP lawmakers.
Democratic critics of the bill have accused it of unfairly targeting illegal immigrants and “weaponizing” the issue of domestic violence. In total, 158 Democrats voted against the bill.
But out of the 31 left-wing lawmakers running for re-election in competitive seats, according to the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, only Reps. Darren Soto, D-Fla., and Val Hoyle, D-Ore., voted against the bill. Twenty-nine vulnerable Democrats, however, crossed the aisle on the measure.
Fox News Digital reached out to Hoyle and Soto’s offices about their opposition to the bill but did not immediately receive a response.
Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, voted “no” on Wednesday night, but his office told Fox News Digital that it was in error: “Rep. Landsman intended to vote yes on H.R.7909 and has already submitted a statement to the Congressional Record affirming as such,” his office said.
Both Hoyle and Soto are in seats classified as “likely Democrat” but could be vulnerable to an upset. Soto’s seat is rated eight points in favor of Democrats, and Hoyle’s is four. Landsman is closest to a toss-up, being rated “D+2.”
However, the significant number of vulnerable Democrats who supported the bill is a hallmark of the larger shift in focus the party has experienced on border security.
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Moderate Democrats and those in danger of losing their seats have raced to call for bipartisan measures to tackle the migrant crisis, which has reached states and cities well beyond the U.S.-Mexico border.
In addition to deporting migrants convicted of sex crimes, the legislation would also deem illegal immigrants who admit to domestic violence or sex-related charges — or are convicted of them — to be inadmissible to the U.S.
It was led by Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., herself a survivor of rape.
It’s part of a wider legislative push by the House GOP to spotlight issues stemming from the border crisis.
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Among the Democrats who spoke out against the bill is Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.
“Here we are again, debating another partisan bill that fearmongers about immigrants, instead of working together to fix the immigration system,” Jayapal said during debate on the bill.
“I probably shouldn’t be too surprised. Scapegoating immigrants and attempting to weaponize the crime of domestic violence is appearing to be a time-honored tradition for Republicans.”