# Plain Language Summary of the BOWOW Act

This bill makes it so that foreign nationals who harm police dogs or other animals used by law enforcement can be prevented from entering the United States or can be deported if they're already here. Specifically, if someone is convicted of injuring or killing a police dog, a border patrol dog, or any other animal that works for law enforcement agencies, they would be considered inadmissible—meaning they can't get a visa or enter the country. If they're already in the U.S., they can be deported for this offense.

The bill targets a specific federal crime that already exists in U.S. law—harming animals used in law enforcement. So this isn't creating a new crime; it's saying that committing this particular crime has immigration consequences. The law applies to anyone who has been convicted of this offense, or even to someone who admits to doing it without necessarily being formally convicted. This means immigration officials have another tool to keep out or remove people who have harmed police animals.

In practical terms, this would mainly affect foreign nationals and immigrants. If you're a U.S. citizen, this doesn't change anything for you. For immigrants or people trying to enter the country, having a conviction for harming a police dog would now be a serious immigration violation that could result in deportation. The bill essentially treats harming working animals as a serious enough offense to warrant immigration consequences, similar to how other violent crimes can make someone deportable.

Federal Working Animal Protection Act

Calvert, Ken

Bill to Outlaw Wounding of Official Working Animals Act or the BOWOW ActThis bill establishes that a&nbsp;non-U.S. national (alien under federal law) convicted of, or who admits to having committed, an offense related to harming animals used in law enforcement is inadmissible and deportable.