A Republican House lawmaker has proposed new legislation that would revoke the citizenship of people who came to the U.S. as immigrants if they are involved in gang activity.
Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., introduced “Protecting our Communities from Gang Violence Act,” which would revoke the citizenship of people who acquired citizenship through naturalization and got involved in gang activity either ten years prior or within ten years of becoming a citizen.
“United States naturalization is a privilege not a right, and those who have had this privilege bestowed upon them must respect and uphold the laws of our land,” Zeldin said.
Zeldin said he introduced the bill in response to a string of violent crimes committed by MS-13 gang members on Long Island, where violent crime has escalated.
“From the vicious machete attack of four young men in Central Islip, to the childhood best friends brutally murdered by MS-13 in Brentwood, our community has witnessed the indiscriminate brutality of gang violence firsthand,” Zeldin said. “Every level of government has a role to play in combating the rise of MS-13 and other gangs, and we must crack down on the aspects of our nation’s broken immigration system and other policies that have allowed MS-13 and other gangs to take hold in our communities and stay there.”
According to Suffolk County police, MS-13 gang members have killed 17 people in the county since January 2016.
