GOP Sen. Tom Cotton to introduce 'Singh’s Law' honoring slain officer, addressing illegal alien gang criminals

A group of Republican senators led by Tom Cotton of Arkansas will introduce a bill Thursday to crack down on illegal immigrants associated with criminal gangs.

The bill is titled “Singh’s Law” and is named after Newman, California, police Corporal Ronil Singh, who was shot dead in the line of duty in December. His accused killer is an illegal immigrant with gang affiliations. Among the bill’s original co-sponsors are Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Kevin Cramer, R-N.D.

The proposed legislation, according to information from Sen. Cotton’s office sent to Blaze Media ahead of the bill’s introduction, would declare ties to a criminal gang combined with any criminal conviction “to be grounds for inadmissibility to the United States and grounds for removal,” would bar known gang members (with a prior conviction) from qualifying from asylum, and would empower the secretary of Homeland Security to designate gangs under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

The bill would also create the “Ronil Singh Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program,” which would provide local law enforcement with grants totaling $200 million. In order to qualify for these funds, however, law enforcement agencies would have to fully cooperate with federal immigration authorities, meaning that sanctuary jurisdictions would not be eligible.

The House of Representatives passed similar legislation targeting illegal alien gang members in September 2017.

Singh, a 33-year-old legal immigrant from Fiji, was killed just before 1 a.m. on December 26 during a traffic stop, when he pulled over Gustavo Perez Arriaga on suspicion of drunk driving. Arriaga, who was in the country illegally, had two prior DUI arrests and is affiliated with a known street gang, according to authorities.

Conservative Review’s Daniel Horowitz called for a bill named after Singh to address illegal alien gang activity in January.

“Corporal Ronil Singh immigrated to America legally, started a family, and ultimately gave his life in the line of duty as a law-enforcement officer,” said Sen. Cotton in a statement to Blaze Media. “Corporal Singh was the embodiment of the American dream. He was shot dead the day after Christmas by an illegal-alien gang member, leaving behind his wife and five-month-old son.”

“Corporal Singh is dead because we failed to secure our border and enforce our immigration laws,” the statement concludes. “This bill is our attempt to honor Corporal Singh’s vast sacrifice and ensure our communities are better protected from illegal-alien gang members.”

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