Speech #1100021154

I reintroduce the Scott Gardner Act. Tragically. Scott Gardner. who was a loving husband and father. was killed by a drunk illegal alien who remained in our country even though he had previous DWI convictions. And we have had other constituents killed recently. Jasmine Lawrence and Min Chang were both killed in wrecks caused by drunkdriving illegal immigrants in Charlotte. North Carolina. area roads. Most recently. 20yearold LeeAnna Newman and her unborn child were killed just outside of my district after her car was struck by an illegal alien who later admitted to getting behind the wheel after drinking tequila. He had a previous conviction also in North Carolina. This act will give our law enforcement and immigration officials the capacity and resources to deal with illegal aliens driving under the influence in a manner that fits the crime. It would make DWI grounds for mandatory detention and deportation of illegal aliens. and it would aid law enforcement and our immigration laws by requiring the sharing of information among Federal. State and local law enforcement agencies. who would be required to collect this information during the course of their normal duties. State and local law enforcement agencies would be given the resouces required to detain illegal aliens for DWI and immigration violations until they could be transferred to Federal authorities for deportation. It is a travesty that our country allows illegal immigrants to remain after being found guilty of DWI. We cannot prevent every instance of illegal aliens driving under the influence. However. there is no reason we should not take every measure possible to remove habitual DWl offenders from our roads. Our constituents expect us to ensure their safety and security. The Scott Gardner Act will go a long way toward clearing our roads of criminal illegal aliens who represent a grave threat to the safety of our citizens.