Congressman Ken Calvert (CA-41) has introduced new legislation aimed at protecting animals used by federal law enforcement agencies. The proposed “Bill to Outlaw Wounding of Official Working Animals Act,” or BOWOW Act (H.R.4638), would make assaulting these animals a deportable offense under Section 237(a)(2) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. It would also render individuals with such offenses inadmissible to the United States under Section 212(a)(2) of the same act.
The bill follows an incident in June, when a Customs and Border Patrol agriculture detector dog named Freddie was assaulted at Dulles Airport after detecting prohibited items in a passenger’s luggage.
“The dogs and horses on the front lines of our federal law enforcement efforts alongside our officers deserve our protection,” said Rep. Calvert. “The BOWOW Act sends a clear message that we will stand up for our four-legged friends and have zero tolerance for any immigrants who assault them. Animals, like Freddie, work every day to keep Americans safe – we owe it to Freddie to do our best to keep him safe too.”
Calvert has represented California’s 41st District in Congress since 1993 (https://calvert.house.gov/about). He was born in Corona, California in 1953 and continues to reside there. Calvert graduated from San Diego State University in 1975 with a bachelor’s degree.
