Should Foreign Nationals Who Interfered or Seek to Interfere With Elections be Prohibited From Entering the U.S.? (S. 2785)
Do you support or oppose this bill?
What is S. 2785?
(Updated January 30, 2019)
This bill — known as the DETER Act — would make foreign nationals seeking to engage in, or who have engaged in, improper interference in a U.S. election inadmissible. Improper interference in an election would defined as conduct that: 1) violates federal criminal, voting rights, or campaign finance law, or is under the direction of a foreign government; 2) interferes with any general or primary federal, state, or local election or caucus, including a candidate’s campaign or a ballot measure.
The bill’s full title is the Defending Elections against Trolls from Enemy Regimes (DETER) Act.
Argument in favor
This commonsense, bipartisan bill would deter foreign nationals from improperly interfering in American elections by making them ineligible for admission to the U.S. if they meddle.
Argument opposed
Sanctioning individuals who meddle in U.S. elections and preventing them from entering the country is only a weak deterrent given that most will never even attempt to come here.
Impact
Individuals who meddle in U.S. elections; and federal agencies.
Cost of S. 2785
A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.
Additional Info
In-Depth: Sponsoring Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced this bill to deter foreign regimes from interfering in American elections by barring individuals who meddle from admission to the U.S.:
“In 2016, Russia committed an act of cyber war against our country and Congress has a responsibility to take immediate action to prevent Russia’s efforts to influence and disrupt the 2018 elections. The bipartisan DETER Act would prohibit foreigners who improperly interfere in our elections from coming to the United States to further their schemes, and bar them from entering our country in the future.”
Original cosponsor Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) added:
“As we saw in the 2016 elections, Vladimir Putin’s Russia is attempting to strike at the very heart of the democratic values, freedoms, and liberty all Americans hold dear. By barring foreigners who improperly interfere in our elections from coming to the United States, the DETER Act sends a message to hostile nations across the world that the United States will not tolerate foreign interference in our elections.”
Graham is the bill’s lone cosponsor.
Media:
Summary by Eric Revell
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