Texas Republicans in the U.S. House and Senate have introduced two new bills aimed at allowing the federal government to pursue the death penalty for undocumented immigrants convicted of murder—regardless of state laws banning executions.
The House bill, Justice for Victims of Illegal Alien Murders Act, and its Senate counterpart, Justice for American Victims of Illegal Aliens Act, are expected to be merged into a single legislative package. If passed, the law would enshrine President Donald Trump’s January executive order, which called for justice on behalf of Americans killed by individuals who entered the country illegally.
“Violent predators who enter our country illegally and brutally murder American citizens should be subject to the death penalty as a consequence of their heinous actions,” said Senator John Cornyn, introducing the Senate bill with backing from a dozen GOP colleagues.
“This legislation would protect the American people, make our country safe again, and ensure no future president can single-handedly undo this consequence for taking innocent lives,” he added.
Representative Morgan Luttrell emphasized the bill’s goal to eliminate what he called a “dangerous loophole” by addressing inconsistent application of capital punishment across states.
“This bill gives us the authority to deliver justice when local prosecutors simply don’t have the tools, manpower, or funding to take on a high-profile death penalty case,” Luttrell stated. “If you’re in this country illegally and you murder an innocent American, you will be held fully accountable no matter where the crime happens.”
The proposal follows Trump’s Restoring the Death Penalty and Protecting Public Safety order, which directed the Justice Department to pursue capital punishment in murder cases involving undocumented migrants.
“These efforts to subvert and undermine capital punishment defy the laws of our nation, make a mockery of justice, and insult the victims of these horrible crimes,” the order stated.
Trump’s stance has been shaped by several high-profile cases, including the murders of Maryland mother-of-five Rachel Morin in August 2023, nursing student Laken Riley in Georgia in February 2024, and 12-year-old Jocelyn Nungary in Houston that June. These cases have fueled his campaign rhetoric around “migrant crime” and calls for stricter border control.
Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem drew backlash after delivering a speech outside the home of Emma Shafer, a 24-year-old woman killed in Springfield, Illinois. Noem claimed Shafer’s killer was undocumented, prompting the victim’s grieving parents to criticize her as “cruel and heartless” for politicizing their daughter’s death.
Commenting on the potential conflict between federal authority and states that oppose capital punishment, former federal prosecutor Erin Epley told Fox 26 Houston that federal executions are extremely rare—with only 16 carried out since 1976.
