Speech #CREC-2017-09-13-pt1-PgH7325_t7

I want to recognize Representative Barbara Comstock, my colleague from Virginia, for introducing the Criminal Alien Gang Member Removal Act. I also want to thank Representative Comstock and this bill's cosponsors--Chairman Goodlatte, Chairman Sessions, Congressman Peter King, and Congressman Labrador--for their work on this issue. From fiscal years 2016 to 2017, ICE agents made over 8,000 gang- related criminal arrests, leading to over 2,600 convictions. America's families, friends, and neighbors are watching the problem of transnational gang violence grow, and ICE reports that membership of these gangs is comprised largely of foreign-born nationals. Many of these gang members terrorizing our streets are here illegally. MS-13, in particular, has experienced growth at the expense of American neighborhoods and public safety. In fact, the Department of Justice has said that MS-13, which originated in Central America, has 10,000 members in the United States, and 40,000 members worldwide. As if this wasn't a clear enough threat, the other transnational gangs are on the rise as well. Sophisticated gang leaders have recognized that our immigration system is susceptible to exploitation and have taken advantage. MS-13 violence has hit communities in Boston, New York, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., particularly hard, but the problem is not limited to these areas. In my home State of Georgia, ICE agents recently arrested an individual who played an active role in a murder in Virginia. In northern Virginia, at least eight murders have been attributed to MS-13 since last November. This is unacceptable. While it is not the only step we can take, one major way we can help to address this problem is to make sure that transnational gang members who are seeking to bring their tactics to our soil do not exploit our immigration laws. We need to use all the tools in our toolbox to address this problem of gang violence, and the underlying bill we are considering today helps us do that. It recognizes that transnational gang members have taken advantage of our immigration laws while addressing existing flaws in our system. This bill becomes clear that Congress will uphold its duty to protect the safety of the American people and provide critical tools to law enforcement. Importantly, while this bill cracks down on criminal alien gang members and strengthens our system, it preserves due process and burden of proof protections. The Criminal Alien Gang Member Removal Act takes the commonsense step of ensuring that criminal gang members are ineligible for asylum, special immigration, juvenile status, and temporary protected status. The bill also adds grounds of inadmissibility and deportability for criminal alien gang members, and it requires that criminal alien gang members are kept in custody prior to and during the immigration court proceedings. Mr. Speaker, under New York City's sanctuary city policy, a criminal alien who was an admitted gang member was allowed to leave Rikers Island after serving time for another offense. This was a particularly egregious case of how flaws in the system are serving gangs, but it also highlights the clear challenge under existing statutes. Under current law, the criminal alien's self-admission of gang affiliation is not reason enough to deport that individual. To be deported, the alien has to be convicted of another independent crime, even if he or she admits to being part of a gang. In Houston, two MS-13 members kidnapped three young girls, ultimately killing one. These individuals, gang members from El Salvador, were in the United States illegally. In yet another instance, a sheriff's deputy in Frederick County, Maryland, was attacked by a known member of MS-13. This is disturbing on its own, but what makes it even more so is that the gang member had been previously apprehended and released by Customs and Border Patrol. For each of the stories I have shared with you today, there is another that I haven't. The violent and brutal actions of transnational gangs operating on our soil have led to far too many tragedies as they prey on our vulnerable neighborhoods, recruit children, and commit unthinkable crimes. Mr. Speaker, let me also make it clear that these violent gangs are targeting immigrant communities. According to the police chief in Maryland, MS-13 has ratcheted up its extortion of immigrant families and businesses. The gang threatens not only the individuals in the United States, but their families back home if these law-abiding immigrant individuals don't meet the gang's demands. Concern for our fellow citizens tells us that we should not be admitting these individuals to our country, and we should be removing them when they commit crimes or yoke themselves to gangs that perpetrate violence. These criminal alien gang members should not be let back onto the streets to victimize more people while their immigration proceedings are ongoing, and they shouldn't be allowed to exploit our laws to gain the benefits reserved for the vulnerable individuals seeking to enter our Nation. The Criminal Alien Gang Member Removal Act makes important strides in protecting the safety of our citizens and our communities. Mr.