Speech #1090140739

Mr. Chairman. today I am offering an amendment on behalf of Representative CAMPBELL. This amendment prevents State and local governments who refuse to share information with Federal immigration authorities by adopting sanctuary policies from getting Federal funds in this appropriation. Mr. Chairman. there are some cities and States around the country that have such laws. and they blatantly encourage illegal immigration. Such laws prohibit law enforcement officials from reporting to the Department of Homeland Security illegal aliens when they are discovered through the normal course of law enforcement practice. Section 642(a) of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 makes It illegal for local and State governments to adopt such laws. These laws. known as sanctuary policies. prevent open communication between local and Federal law enforcement and pose a great risk to all American citizens. We cannot risk letting a dangerous criminal walk out of the sanctuaried city and possibly into our community instead by being deported as the law dictates. Across the Nation there are repeated examples of illegal aliens. who. on multiple occasions. have been apprehended by local governments only to be released to commit other crimes. The Washington Times has reported that in a December rape of a woman in New York. four of the five men charged in the case were illegal immigrants. and three had prior convictions that. in keeping with Federal law. would have allowed their deportation. Unfortunately. because the New York City sanctuary policy which prevented city police from sharing information with Federal immigration authorities. these criminals were released by local law enforcement authorities rather than deported. Had New York not enacted a sanctuary policy. this rape may never have happened. Why take a chance on letting another rapist or potential terrorist walk out of a sanctuary city police station and possibly into your community instead of being deported. Sanctuary policies allow local governments to effectively set up their own patchwork of individual immigration sanctuaries. This directly usurps the authority granted to the Federal Government under the Constitution to establish our Nations immigration policies. Some may argue that this amendment would coerce State and local police officers to step into the role of Federal immigration agents. This is a false argument. Mr.