Judiciary Republicans introduce Defending Elections against Trolls from Enemy Regimes Act

WASHINGTON — Rep. Doug Collins (R-Ga.), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, today introduced the Defending Elections against Trolls from Enemy Regimes (DETER) Act. The DETER Act makes any migrant or alien who has, or intends to, interfere in U.S. elections deportable or inadmissible for entry into the United States. “It is critical we maintain the integrity of our elections systems. Federal agencies need innovative tools to protect our elections from foreign threats, and the DETER Act would allow agencies to deport individuals who seek to interfere in our democratic process or prevent them from entering the U.S. in the first place. The special counsel’s report and Robert Mueller himself have made it clear Russia tried to interfere in the 2016 election and our focus should be on preventing bad actors from meddling in American elections," said Collins. "The DETER Act represents a critical and practical step in fighting foreign attacks on our democracy, and I’m grateful to introduce this bill alongside so many of my colleagues on the Judiciary Committee. The Senate has already acted on its version of this important legislation, and I hope the House soon follows suit." Original cosponsors of the DETER Act include Reps. Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.), Ken Buck (R-Colo.), Steve Chabot (R-Ohio), Ben Cline (R-Va.), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) and Greg Steube (R-Fla.).