Providing for Consideration of H.R. 3697, Criminal Alien Gang Member Removal Act, and Providing for Proceedings During the Period from September 15, 2017 Through September 22, 2017
Floor Speech
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Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to bring forward this rule on behalf of the Rules Committee.
The rule provides for consideration of H.R. 3697, the Criminal Alien Gang Member Removal Act. Before I discuss the rule, Mr. Speaker, I would first like to take this opportunity to thank all the first responders who have been working tirelessly in the wake of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, and to send my thoughts and prayers to those who have suffered loss because of these storms.
Georgia saw much of Hurricane Irma's devastation firsthand, and I would like to thank the men and women who are responding to the people in need and rebuilding our communities. I am grateful to all of those who have played and are playing a part in these recovery efforts.
As someone who is still back home without power, I understand the need that is going on in Florida all the way up through northeast Georgia. This is truly a ``from the beach to the highlands'' kind of issue, and we are continuing to thank our law enforcement, our first responders, and especially those that work for the power companies and others getting the utilities back on that we take for granted so many days. I just want to say thank you to them.
Mr. Speaker, the rule before us today provides for 1 hour of debate equally divided between the chairman and ranking member of the Judiciary Committee. The rule also provides for a motion to recommit.
Yesterday, the Rules Committee had the opportunity to hear from two of my colleagues on the Judiciary Committee, Mr. Johnson from Louisiana and Ms. Lofgren from California. Much of H.R. 3697 received consideration by the Judiciary Committee as part of a larger bill, the Michael Davis, Jr. and Danny Oliver in Honor of State and Local Law Enforcement Act.
After a lengthy and thorough debate, the Judiciary Committee marked up and reported favorably that legislation on May 24.
As a cosponsor and strong supporter of the Davis-Oliver Act, I hope to see that legislation pass before the full House. Today we have an opportunity to increase public safety by moving an important piece of that bill forward as H.R. 3697.
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. Speaker, we in this House are taking a stand against the senseless violence and lawlessness and the criminal enterprise that these gangs bring to our soil. We are strengthening our laws against transnational gangs and ensuring criminal alien gang members can and will be removed from this Nation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. Speaker, I believe today's debate has made this very clear. We are talking about gang members from some of the most violent gangs in the world. We are talking about removing members of those gangs that are in this country and are attempting to come to this country illegally.
We are a nation of laws. It is our duty to uphold those laws and to strengthen those laws when necessary. This is a time when it is necessary.
We are not talking about singling out certain community groups, religious groups, or law-abiding citizens as someone said on the other side or would have you believe. We are talking about strengthening and enforcing our laws against known criminal alien gang members who are putting our communities at risk and threatening our citizens and legal residents.
The Federal Government's highest responsibility is to protect the safety of our Nation and the American people. Cracking down on illegal criminal alien gang members is one critical way we can do that.
The Criminal Alien Gang Member Removal Act takes important strides to better combat gang violence, and I look forward to supporting this rule and the underlying bill to strengthen public safety and uphold the rule of law.
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