Speech #930041772

Also we have provisions in the code of Federal regulations. 28 CFR 9. which authorizes the remission or mitigation of forefecture and the right of the petitioner to establish his innocence or lack of knowledge of a violation which subjected the property to seizure and forfeiture. I would like to respond. also. to the gentleman from Florida who expressed concern because of his years of experience in the automobile sales business that the old provision of years ago. that a motor vehicle dealer was compelled to check with law enforcement agencies to determine whether the conditional buyer or the lessor of a vehicle hau- a criminal record. was repealed some time ago and is no longer a part of the law of the land. Admittedly. in the illegal alien problem smuggling becomes an important factor. All illegals are not smuggled. however. Many of them walk across the border. or find some other method of obtaining entrance into the country. But there is a sizable number who are literally smuggled into the country aboard a vehicle of some person who charges a fee for that operation In doing so I would like to have my colleagues note some of the facts which come up. Oftentimes the smuggling operations are so inhumane that they result in illness or death to the aliens being smuggled. In the 1968 annual report of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. for example. there is a quotation which states: In January an Illinois State trooper stopped a pickup truck near Morris. ill.. because it was moving at a slow rate of speed and appeared to be heavily overloaded. The vehicle had been topped with aluminum and wood. The trooper found 52 Spanishspeaking males jammed into the enclosed part of the van. Again in the 1972 report they state: In another instance a vehicle intercepted by agents in California had been specially equipped with two fans installed in the trunk. which could be connected to the cigarette lighter. thereby facilitating the circulation of air drawn from vents in the rear deck of the auto. Air ride supports installed on the vehicle maintained an even balance in spite of the additional weight in the trunk of the car. It was learned that the smuggler had regularly been bringing in two to four illegal aliens in this manner. Mr. Chairman. this is a racket. The smuggling of aliens by those who make it a part of their livelihood is a vicious racket which. in turn. ought to be stopped. :t is an auxiliary question to the entire illegal alien question. but these people are victimizing these poor illegals. and I think that should be stopped. Forfeiture is one good way of doing it. Now I yield to the gentleman from California.