Speech #CREC-2017-06-29-pt1-PgH5316_t43

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of keeping America safe. In less than 2 years, over 8,000 undocumented immigrants, all subject to ICE detainment, were released because of local noncooperation policies. Sixty-three percent of those illegal aliens had prior convictions or had been marked a public safety concern. After being released, they went on to be rearrested nearly 4,300 times, committing nearly 7,500 new offenses. The facts are clear: States and local governments that do not comply with our immigration laws are putting American citizens at risk. The U.S. Sentencing Commission found that, in 2014, 75 percent of all criminal defendants who were convicted and sentenced for Federal drug offenses were illegal immigrants. As of 2014, illegal immigrants made up roughly 3.5 percent of our population but committed over 10 percent of all murders. Refusing to turn over criminal illegal immigrants poses a threat to our society, our safety, and our economy. American citizens pay nearly $19 million a day to house and care for the 450,000 criminal immigrants in jails and prisons who are all eligible for deportation. When cities ignore Federal immigration laws, the results are often tragic. The sheriff of Travis County, Texas, decided she would only turn over illegal aliens who have committed a narrow list of crimes. Her policy allowed one illegal alien to be released on bail despite sexually abusing his girlfriend's 9-year-old daughter. A Cook County sheriff released an illegal immigrant after he served a brief domestic assault sentence, despite an ICE detainer. Soon after, he went on to kill a 15-year-old girl. America wept as 32-year-old Kate Steinle was killed by a stray bullet. The illegal immigrant who shot that gun had seven previous felony convictions. There are thousands more stories of innocent lives lost, of families destroyed, and of crimes that could have been prevented. Every day in America, another family grieves because of the policies of sanctuary cities. Mr. Speaker, I rise for the protection of our citizens, the safety of our communities, the defense of our country, and to ultimately see the end of sanctuary cities.