IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1384 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that State and local 

governments, and State and local law enforcement personnel in the 

course of carrying out routine duties, have the inherent authority of 

a sovereign entity to investigate, identify, apprehend, arrest, detain, or 

transfer to Federal custody aliens in the United States, for the purpose 

of assisting in the enforcement of the immigration laws of the United 

States. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 20, 2010 

Mr. GARY G. MILLER of California (for himself, Mrs. MYRICK, and Mr. SMITH

of Texas) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committee on Homeland Security, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 

in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 

State and local governments, and State and local law 

enforcement personnel in the course of carrying out routine duties, have the inherent authority of a sovereign 

entity to investigate, identify, apprehend, arrest, detain, 

or transfer to Federal custody aliens in the United 

States, for the purpose of assisting in the enforcement 

of the immigration laws of the United States. 


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•HRES 1384 IH 

Whereas the Federal Government has failed to fully carry out 

current laws governing the enforcement of the immigration laws of the United States; 

Whereas the Federal Government’s lack of enforcement has 

failed to curb illegal immigration, secure the borders, and 

protect the homeland; 

Whereas 11,000,000 to 20,000,000 aliens unlawfully present 

in the United States currently reside in the United 

States; 

Whereas 15,000,000 individuals authorized to be employed in 

the United States are unemployed while an estimated 

8,000,000 illegal aliens are unlawfully employed; 

Whereas Mexican drug trafficking organizations have operations within the United States and are geographically 

dispersed throughout at least 230 cities; 

Whereas the number of drug trafficking-related deaths in 

Mexico since January 2007 has been estimated at over 

14,000; 

Whereas Congress remains concerned with the possibility that 

the current drug trafficking-related violence in Mexico 

may spill over into the United States; 

Whereas the failure by the Federal Government to curb illegal immigration and secure the borders has placed, and 

continues to place, a substantial burden on State and 

local government agencies to address illegal immigration 

and the escalating border violence; 

Whereas many State and local governments have actively 

worked to discourage illegal immigration and to assist in 

the enforcement of the immigration laws of the United 

States; 


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•HRES 1384 IH 

Whereas such actions and assistance have come at great expense to State and local governments; 

Whereas illegal immigration costs State and local governments $40,000,000,000 to $80,000,000,000 every year; 

Whereas illegal immigration also poses a threat to the security of the United States; 

Whereas the 9/11 Commission Report found that several of 

the 19 9/11 terrorists had overstayed their tourist visas 

and therefore were unlawfully present in the United 

States; 

Whereas 3 of the hijackers had been stopped for traffic violations when they were living illegally in the United States, 

including the pilot Ziad Jarrah who was cited for speeding just 2 days before the attacks; 

Whereas if the information that those individuals had overstayed visas had been available to local law enforcement 

officials, several of the hijackers might have been detained and deported, potentially disrupting the 9/11 plot; 

Whereas 3 noncitizens, who authorities say supplied funds to 

Times Square car-bomb suspect Faisal Shahzad, were arrested in the United States and found to have overstayed 

their visas and to be unlawfully present in the United 

States; 

Whereas the State of Arizona recently enacted the Support 

Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act to 

enhance the ability of State and local agencies to discourage illegal immigration, protect Arizona communities 

against local and international organized crime, and to 

ease the burden placed on the State; 

Whereas it is the intent of the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act to make attrition 


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•HRES 1384 IH 

through enforcement the public policy of all State and 

local government agencies in Arizona; 

Whereas the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act mirrors Federal law, which already requires 

aliens to register and carry their documents with them; 

Whereas the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act simply states that violating Federal immigration law is now a State crime as well; 

Whereas the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act allows law enforcement officials to ask 

about immigration status only in the normal course of a 

lawful stop, detention, or arrest, such as in the course of 

a traffic stop or criminal arrest; 

Whereas the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act prohibits a law enforcement official or 

agency or a county, city, town or other political subdivision solely to consider race, color, or national origin in 

implementing the requirements of the Act; and 

Whereas the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act will help to alleviate the costs of illegal immigration on taxpayers and will enhance national security: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that— 

3 (1) States, and law enforcement personnel of a 

4 State (or of a political subdivision of a State) in the 

5 course of carrying out routine duties, have the inher6 ent authority of a sovereign entity to investigate, 

7 identify, apprehend, arrest, detain, or transfer to 


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•HRES 1384 IH 

1 Federal custody aliens in the United States (includ2 ing the transportation of such aliens across State 

3 lines to detention centers), for the purposes of as4 sisting in the enforcement of the immigration laws 

5 of the United States; 

6 (2) State and local governments should be sup7 ported by the Federal Government for taking actions 

8 to discourage illegal immigration; 

9 (3) State and local governments should be fully 

10 reimbursed for the costs associated with illegal im11 migration; 

12 (4) State and local governments that knowingly 

13 harbor illegal immigrants should be penalized; 

14 (5) current laws governing the enforcement of 

15 the immigration laws of the United States should be 

16 enforced to the highest extent of the law; 

17 (6) attrition through enforcement should be the 

18 policy of the United States; and 

19 (7) legislation to enhance border security and 

20 the enforcement of immigration laws should be 

21 passed quickly in order to ease the burden on State 

22 and local governments and increase national secu23 rity. 

Æ 


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