Migrants who attack federal law enforcement animals could face expedited deportation

The House on Thursday passed, 228-190, a bill that would strengthen penalties against non-citizens for hurting federal law enforcement animals. 

The Bill to Outlaw Wounding of Official Working (BOWOW) Animals Act (H.R. 4638) would make migrants who have been convicted of or have admitted to harming animals used in law enforcement inadmissible and deportable. 

Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., the bill’s sponsor, said in a press release that he was motivated to introduce the legislation after a 2025 incident in which a foreign national kicked and injured a Customs and Border Protection agriculture detector dog, Freddie, that alerted officers about inadmissible products in the individual’s luggage. 

During floor debate Thursday, Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., argued the legislation was redundant, pointing out that the assailant in the 2025 incident was deported. 

“Freddie got justice. We got a system that actually works there,” Raskin said. 

The lawmaker also raised concerns that the bill could penalize individuals who are not convicted of — but rather just admitted to — hurting an animal. 

Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., on the other hand, contended that the measure would simplify the process to deport offenders. 

“Yes, such assaults can be defined as moral turpitude to bar admission,” he said. “But that finding can often require byzantine legal proceedings that eat up many years and thousands of dollars of resources, if they are pursued at all.”  

Despite opposition from House minority leaders, 15 Democrats voted for the bill. 

About 5,100 working dogs serve the federal government, according to a 2022 Government Accountability Office report, with common tasks being detecting explosives or narcotics. 

For more than a month, the Homeland Security Department has been in a funding lapse due to disagreements between congressional Republicans and Democrats about reforms to the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement program after DHS agents fatally shot multiple citizens.