(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s two U.S. senators are reintroducing legislation that aims to immediately deport illegal immigrants who are convicted of sex crimes. Senator Chuck Grassley says he and Senator Joni Ernst believe certain criminals need to be kicked out of the country right away using what they’re calling the Better Enforcement of Grievous Offenses by Unnaturalized Emigrants Act. “We call it the Be Gone Act,” Grassley says, “and sexual assault would be an immediately deportable offense.”

Grassley says the bill would classify sexual assault and aggravated sexual violence as “aggravated felonies” and those migrants who are convicted would be subject to immediate deportation and barred from reentering the U.S. “We’ve heard this, even before they get to the United States, about how women are abused through Mexico,” Grassley says, “how there’s an awful lot of human trafficking, and obviously that’s economic slavery, but also sex slavery.”

Grassley says Immigration and Customs Enforcement revealed last year that more than 15,000 illegal immigrants convicted of sexual assault were residing in the U.S. outside of federal custody. “It seems to me, we aren’t tough enough in that area,” he says, “and we’re working to be tough in that area.”

Senator Ernst released this statement:

“President Trump and his team have hit the ground running reversing the damage from the last four years, but we must ensure that every last sexual predator let in by Joe Biden is deported,” Ernst said. “The health and safety of our citizens must always come first, and I am proud to continue working with President Trump to protect the American people. These violent, criminal illegal aliens need to BE GONE!”