Sen. Rubio introduces bill to crack down on southern border 'coyotes'
The 'No Coyote Cash Act,' is cosigned by a handful of Senate Republicans
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}EXCLUSIVE: Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is set to introduce a bill making it explicitly illegal for "coyotes" to smuggle immigrants and goods across the U.S. border.
The "No Coyote Cash Act," cosigned by four other Senate Republicans, would fine coyotes the worth of their transportation at the border and sentence them to up to one year in prison. Illegal immigrants who transport people or goods are also subject to deportation.
"Any person who transmits money, property, or any item of value through interstate commerce … shall be fined the value of the transmitted money, property, or item of value, imprisoned not more than year, or both," the bill states.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}AMERICA IS ANGRY OVER BIDEN'S OPEN BORDER CRISIS: REP. STEVE SCALISE
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is set to introduce a bill that will make it explicitly illegal for "coyotes" to smuggle immigrants and goods across the U.S. border. (Saul Martinez/Getty Images)
Coyotes charge upward of $10,000 to smuggle immigrants across the southern border depending on where their country of origin and method of transportation is. The charges have made for a booming business for coyotes as border encounters have hit all-time highs during the Biden administration. The total number of encounters is nearing 5 million, according to U.S. Custom and Border Protection data.
"President Biden’s failed open border policy continues to incentivize the crisis at our border," Rubio told Fox News Digital. "This commonsense bill targets one of the root causes of illegal migration. We must ensure those who pay cartels, smugglers and coyotes are convicted for enriching criminals’ pockets through human smuggling."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}STATE OF THE UNION 2023: BORDER OFFICIALS TAKE AIM AT BIDEN’S 'MADDENING' REMARKS ON MIGRANT CRISIS
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is set to introduce a bill to criminalize "coyotes," which is cosigned by four Sente Republicans. (Eva Marie Uzcategui/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The legal provisions in Rubio’s bill would be amended to the Immigration and Nationality Act.
The bill is cosigned by senators Roger Marshall, R-Kan.; Mike Braun, R-Ind.; Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo.; and Ted Cruz, R-Texas.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS DROP TO 150,000 IN JANUARY, LOWEST SINCE EARLY 2021: SOURCES
Souther border encounters have hit all-time highs under President Biden. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Rosemary Jenks, the director of government relations for NumbersUSA, a group that advocates for lower levels of immigration, said Rubio’s bill would close a long-abused loophole in the U.S. immigration system.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"For too long, the U.S. has looked the other way as individuals paid cartel smugglers to bring their friends and family to the U.S. illegally, which has only led to an increase in chaos at the border and victimization of vulnerable populations," Jenks told Fox News Digital.