Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I want to be clear at the outset of this debate that
this legislation does nothing to make our communities safer, and it
does nothing to improve our immigration system. Instead, H.R. 3003 will
trample the rights of States and localities to determine what is in the
best interest of their public safety, and it will conscript law
enforcement to enforce Federal immigration law. The ultimate experts on community safety are communities themselves,
and hundreds of them have determined that, as community trust
increases, crime decreases. This is because immigrants will come out of
the shadows and report crimes to local law enforcement when they are
not threatened with deportation. In fact, a recent study found that
community trust jurisdictions are actually safer than their
counterparts. Against this considered judgment, H.R. 3003 forces localities to
abandon community trust principles and mandates the conscription of
local offices into Federal immigration enforcement. Some localities, of
course, would rightfully resist this conscription. As punishment, H.R.
3003 would rob them of vital law enforcement funding that they depend
on to prevent crime, prosecute criminals, and boost community policing
ranks.
Keywords matched
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