Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to H.R. 3697, the ``Criminal Alien
Gang Member Removal Act of 2017''. This bill amends the INA to now include a definition for criminal
street gangs as:
An ongoing group, club, organization, or association of 5 or more
persons that has as one of its primary purposes the commission of
certain listed offenses, including: a felony drug offense, including
felony simple possession of marijuana (this would impact high school
kids who may gather to smoke marijuana); bringing in and harboring
certain aliens under INA 274 (this would cover sanctuary sites like
churches that aid undocumented immigrants); identity fraud offenses
(including knowingly possessing a false identity document); crimes
involving obstruction of justice; and burglary. This bill also defines ``criminal gang'': a group that has been
designated as a criminal gang by the DHS Secretary in consultation with
the Attorney General. I oppose this unwise and irresponsible legislation because the bill
contains several constitutional and procedural defects, and is an
unnecessary diversion and distraction from the real issues facing the
American people.
Keywords matched
undocumented immigrants