Speech #1140044852

Speaker. the recent killing of Kathryn Steinle in San Francisco is a tragedy. and my thoughts are with her family during this very difficult time. Unfortunately. the Majority has chosen to politicize this tragedy by bringing this misguided and unacceptable bill to the floor. H.R. 3009 would withhold Department of Justice grants specifically targeted to enhance public safety. support community policing. and assist crime victims from states and law enforcement agencies that do not collect information regarding a persons immigration status. We can and should ensure that serious criminals who are dangerous and enforcement priorities for ICE are not released from the custody of local law enforcement. However. it is misguided and counterproductive to force local law enforcement officers to inquire about a persons immigration status at any time and for any reason in order to be eligible to receive critical public safety funding. It is also wrong and irresponsible that this bill misrepresents the immigrant community as one comprised entirely of criminals. In fact. decades of research show that immigrants are less likely to commit serious crimes than nativeborn persons. Earlier this year. many Republicans insisted that our Homeland Security Appropriations bill include antiimmigrant riders. and threatened to shut down the Department of Homeland Security if they did not get their way. Sadly. H.R. 3009 is just more of the same from the Majority. who apparently think it is more important to incite hatred of our immigrant population for political purposes than it is to keep our communities safe and secure. If we truly want to deal with our broken immigration system. we must pass comprehensive immigration reform that treats immigrants humanely. focuses on deporting those who threaten our safety and national security. and better secures our borders. Unfortunately. the House Majority has no interest in passing such reforms and instead chooses to rob local law enforcement of the money they need to keep our constituents safe from harm. I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill.