BOWOW Act

The Bill to Outlaw Wounding of Official Working Animals Act (BOWOW Act) would add a new immigration penalty for non-U.S. citizens. Specifically, it would make an alien inadmissible to the United States and deportable if they have been convicted of, admit having committed, or admit committing acts that constitute the essential elements of the federal offense of harming animals used in law enforcement (per 18 U.S.C. § 1368). In other words, anyone who harms police dogs, horses, or other animals used by law enforcement could be barred from entering the U.S. and could be removed if already here, based on either a conviction or a self-admission of the underlying acts.