Secure Access to Justice and Court Protection Act of 2005

SECURE ACCESS TO JUSTICE AND COURT PROTECTION ACT OF 2005 -- (House of Representatives - November 09, 2005)

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AMENDMENT NO. 4 OFFERED BY MR. CUELLAR

Mr. CUELLAR. Mr. Chairman, I offer an amendment.

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Mr. CUELLAR. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chairman, my amendment is an amendment that adds a category of preferential consideration for witness protection grants for jurisdictions that share an international border and face a threat from cross-border crime.

Basically, this would allow the border prosecutors an opportunity to protect the witness that sometimes fears that they might get a threat from international cross-border threats. I believe this amendment is acceptable to Chairman Sensenbrenner.

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Mr. Chairman, Chairman SENSENBRENNER and Ranking Member CONYERS, Congressman SCOTT, thank you for this opportunity to offer my amendment to H.R. 1751, the Secure Access to Justice and Court Protection Act of 2005.

Crime and violence along the US-Mexico border presents unique challenges to the law enforcement community. Border crimes can be especially difficult to prosecute: a witness to a crime along the border may be hesitant to testify if he or she fears it is related to criminal activity across the border in another country.

The Cuellar amendment is simple; it adds a category of preferential consideration for witness protection grants for jurisdictions that share an international border and face a demonstrable threat from cross-border crime. This category will benefit such jurisdictions that choose to apply for witness protection grants.

We must provide prosecutors every means possible to adjudicate crimes along the border, and giving them preferential consideration for witness protection grants will help that goal.

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