Speech #1090052664

Alabama matched with the fingerprints collected by INS agents in Washington State. Had both law enforcement entities not done their job by taking prints. it is possible that the identity of John Lee Malvo could have been a mystery for weeks longer. In New York a 42yearold woman sitting on a park bench with her boyfriend was dragged away and gangraped by five deportable illegal immigrants. Although 4 of the 5 had State criminal convictions and 2 had served jail time. the INS claims they were never told about themthus. they were not deported as the law requires. Fiftysix illegal aliens were caught by State and local police. and convicted of molestation and child abuse. long before ICEs "Operation Predator" found them living in New York and Northern New Jersey long after they should have been deported. Of the 56 arrested. one had raped his 10yearold niece. another had sexually assaulted a 6yearold boy. one had raped his 7yearold niece. and another had sexually assaulted a 2yearold. The 9/11 hijacker cases. the D.C. sniper cases. and a multitude of criminal alien cases clearly illustrate that our State and local police are the front lines of combating alien crime. To leave them out of the enforcement system. as we do now. eliminates our most effective weapon against criminal and terrorist aliens. Many advocacy groups have vocally opposed the idea of State and local immigration law enforcement over the course of the last year. They would prefer that Congress not clarify this enforcement authority and that we leave State and local officers in the dark. Such groups contend that if immigration enforcement functions are performed by anyone other than Federal law enforcement officials. at least three negative consequences will ensue. First. they argue that State and local law enforcement entities will be handed an unfunded mandate and will be forced to enforce immigration law violations against their will and at their expense. Second. they argue that immigrant communities. and the victims and witnesses that live within them. will abandon their trust of. and cooperative partnership with. State and local law enforcement. And third. they argue that State and local law enforcement officers will abuse their inherent enforcement authoity to engage in racial profiling. harassment. and discrimination.