On May 20, 2013, the United States Senate Judiciary Committee amended the definition of aggravated felony to include 3 convictions for drunk driving. Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA) proposed this amendment.

An aggravated felony is grounds for removal and/or loss of Legal Permanent Resident status. To be removable under this new aggravated felony ground, at least one of the convictions must have occurred after the date of the enactment of this legislation.

The amendment passed by a vote of 17-1. The lone vote in opposition of the proposal came from Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT), who voiced concern over the lack of discretion. He stated that he had a hard time supporting this measure since it would take into account incidents that took place 30-40 years ago.