Africa. Europe and the Caribbean. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director expressed concern about criminal gangs and said. "Criminal gangs inflict violence and fear upon our communities. and without the attention of law enforcement. these groups can spread like a cancer." Despite the concern about violent criminal gangs. ICE arrests are down. According to the Center for Immigration Studies. "arrests peaked in 2012. then dropped by more than 25 percent in 2013. and continued to decline in 2014." Furthermore. under the Fourth Circuits decision in Holder v. Martinez. former gang members may argue that their status as a former gang member similarly entitles them to remain in the United States. This ruling has opened the door to violent gang members renouncing their membership as a ruse to stay in the country. Unfortunately. the Department of Justice didnt appeal the ruling. signaling support for gang members to remain in the country. The GrassleyTillisBurr bill seeks to ensure that alien gang members are not provided a safe haven in the United States. It defines a criminal alien gang. renders them inadmissible and deportable. and requires the government to detain them while awaiting deportation. The bill also prohibits criminal alien gang members from gaining U.S. immigration benefits such as asylum. Temporary Protected Status. Special Immigrant Juvenile visas. deferred action or parole. with limited exceptions for law enforcement purposes. Lastly. the bill provides an expedited removal process for terrorists. criminal aliens and gang members. I hope my colleagues will agree that our immigration laws. and the administrations policies. must be reformed so that those who pose a threat to the public are not allowed to remain in the United States and take advantage of the benefits we provide. By Mr. DURBIN (for himself.
Keywords matched
Immigrant Temporary Protected Status visas immigration deportable deportation Immigration