Speech #1040265022

I introduced legislation to repeal section 434 of the recently enacted Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996. Section 434 provides that: Notwithstanding any other provision of Federal. State. or local law. no State or local government entity may be prohibited. or In any way restricted. from sending to or receiving from the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) information regarding the immigration status. lawful or unlawful. of an alien in the United States. This provision conflicts with an executive order. issued by the mayor of New York in 1985. prohibiting city employees from reporting suspected illegal aliens to the Immigration and Naturalization Service unless the alien has been charged with a crime. The executive order. which according to a report in the September 12. 1996. New York Times is similar to local laws in other States and cities. was intended to ensure that fear of deportation does not deter illegal aliens from seeking emergency medical attention. reporting crimes. and so forth. On September 8. 1995. during Senate consideration of H.R. 4. the Work Opportunity Act of 1995. Senators SANTORUm and NICKLES offered this provision as an amendment.