Date: 2015-07-23
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. as a senior member of the Committees on the Judiciary and on Homeland Security. I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 3009. the socalled "Enforce the Law for Sanctuary Cities Act." I oppose this legislation because it undermines public safety. fails to address needed immigration reform. promotes a deportationonly approach. and will not achieve the Republican leaderships stated purpose in bringing the bill to the floor. Mr. Speaker. nothing in H.R. 3009 would have prevented the tragic killing of an innocent young woman in San Francisco. Instead. this bill is being rushed to the floor for the sole purpose of exploiting that tragedy by scapegoating immigrants and undocumented persons. holding them responsible for the actions of one person. and avoiding action on comprehensive immigration reform. It is undisputable that victims of murder deserve justice. H.R. 3009 the "Enforce the Law for Sanctuary Cities Act" would push undocumented immigrants further into the shadows and create and an environment with heightened threats to our safety and ability to seek justice. Stripping state and local law enforcement agencies of key funding and resources impedes their ability to combat crime and protect our communities. Surely. House Republicans do not want to tie the hands of law enforcement when it comes to preventing and investigating criminal acts. Rather than taking positive steps to promote better cooperation and communication between Federal. State and local authorities. where appropriate. H.R. 3009 punishes State and local law enforcement agencies that prioritize public safety and community policing over immigration enforcement efforts. Nearly every major law enforcement association in the country. from the Major Cities Chiefs Associations. the Major Counties Sheriffs Association. the Fraternal Order of Police. and the Law Enforcement Immigration Task Force. opposes H.R. 3009 and the host of other similar and related proposals set forth by Republicans. H.R. 3009 simply spreads the myth that all immigrants are criminals and threats to the publicdespite decades of research that demonstrate the fact that immigrants are less likely to commit serious crimes than nativeborn persons and are less likely to end up in prison. In fact. thousands immigrant populations throughout the country have resided within our country for decades as lawabiding. taxpaying. hardworking model persons who contribute to our nations economy and culture of diversity and inclusiveness. Additionally. thousands of immigrant populations are actually here seeking safety and refuge because they too are victims of horrific abuse. torture and massacre that plagues their native countries. Yet. once again we are discussing measures that simply seek to enhance and promote mass criminalization. racial profiling and discrimination. and deportation of immigrants. In just this past year. House Republicans have voted to: 1. Deport hundreds of thousands of Dreamers who came to the country as children and are American in all but name. 2. Deport millions of parents of US citizens who are playing by the rules. contributing to their communities and working to support their families. and 3. Deport without due process tens of thousands of unaccompanied children who came to the US fleeing persecution. extreme violence and trafficking. Just this past Friday. the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 1st Circuit issued an opinion dismissing immunity claims by ICE Agents who unlawfully detained an American citizen. A U.S. citizen who was born in Guatemala and has resided here since the 1980s and was naturalized in 1995. was subjected to multiple ICE detainers in violation of her Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights. On at least two occasions the plaintiff was detained by ICE and questioned about her citizenshipdespite her repeated claims and assertion of her legal status. No efforts were made to confirm or investigate prior to her detention by ICE which allowed her to be booked. stripsearched and held in jail for up to 48hours. "Detain first. question later" practices and policies should not be supportedyet H.R. 3009 penalizes law enforcement for refusing to gather information about ones citizenship or immigration status where such actions are unwarranted. President Obama issued a statement today advising that H.R. 3009 will get vetoed if presented to him for signature. It cannot be said that immigration reform is being taken seriously. when proposals are rushed and fail to go through regular order. Serious reform requires bringing to the floor for debate a comprehensive immigration bill that reforms our broken immigration system by making it fairer and more humane. and secures our Northern. Southern. and maritime borders and our ports. The House Homeland Security Committee proved this can be done last year when it reported out of committee on a unanimous vote. H.R. 1417. the Border Security Results Act of Instead of wasting time on legislation that is designed to attract publicity rather than have any realistic chance of becoming law. we should be bringing to the floor for debate legislation that will address the real problems and challenges facing the American people. Instead of squandering valuable floor time on this irresponsible legislation. the House should be allowed to work its will on issues that matter. like raising the minimum wage. protecting the right to vote of all Americans. and passing criminal justice reform that builds trust and respect between law enforcement agencies and the communities they are to protect and serve.