First, section 2(a) of the bill defines criminal gang as ``an ongoing
group, club, organization, or association of five or more persons that
has as one of its primary purposes the commission of one or more'' of a
wide range of offenses. This may seem reasonable until you look at the
offenses listed. These offenses could sweep in many people that no reasonable person
would think of as a gang member--for example, one of the offenses
relates to the harboring of undocumented immigrants. This statute
includes people who give shelter to, transport, or provide other kinds
of aid to undocumented immigrants. That means that,
under this bill, a religious organization that aids undocumented
immigrants could be a criminal gang. This isn't just theoretical. During the 1980s, members of the faith
community were repeatedly criminally prosecuted for providing
transportation to undocumented immigrants. In one case, the FBI even
infiltrated a Bible study group to learn about the group's plan to
support undocumented immigrants. Under this bill, DHS would have
expanded authority to go after all such groups as criminal gangs. In
one fell swoop, it could turn nuns into gang members.
Keywords matched
undocumented immigrants