(Washington, DC) - The U.S. House of Representatives passed Congressman Baron Hill’s Alien Smuggling and Terrorism Prevention Act, H.R. 1029, today with no opposition. 

“I am proud of this legislative victory,” Hill said.  “This bill is truly bipartisan, supported even by the Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee Congressman Lamar Smith.”

H.R. 1029 responds to the needs of federal prosecutors and agents in detaining and sentencing individuals illegally smuggling persons into the United States.  The bill gives law enforcement, at all levels, the tools they need to detain and fully prosecute those found guilty of smuggling individuals across the border into the United States.  The bill also significantly enhances penalties for alien smuggling – the crime is raised from a misdemeanor to a felony under this bill. 

“When I returned to Congress in 2006, I was quite frankly appalled to learn from law enforcement that the punishment for alien smuggling does not fit the crime,” Hill said.  “To that end, I introduced this bill first in 2007 and then again in the 111th Congress.  We need to pass this bill and move one step forward in really securing our borders.”

The bill also sets a five-year base maximum prison term for most alien smugglers.  However, most prison terms increase significantly if the smuggler exposes individuals to high risk of injury or death such as kidnapping, raping or concealing them.

In addition, H.R. 1029 directs the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to check all smugglers and those smuggled into this country against the Terror Watch List. 

“More than 17,000 individuals were illegally trafficked into this country last year,” Hill said.  “This is a serious violation of our border laws.  I believe this bill will not only prosecute offenders, but act as a deterrent for illegal alien smugglers, and therefore greatly cut down on illegal immigration.”