Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I do appreciate the opportunity, and it looks like I am probably bringing up the boots. I think I am on a boat, as they say. I am the last one coming in.

I just want to thank the chairman and the ranking member for the time.

I have been watching all night, and I just want to thank you all for the work you have done on this bill, and I look forward to offering this amendment.

Mr. Chairman, I rise to offer this amendment to ensure that no funds appropriated under H.R. 4660 are used to assist States and localities whose laws and policies are in direct contradiction to Federal immigration law and enforcement efforts.

State and local jurisdictions are implementing policies that directly contradict U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's statutorily-mandated mission to identify and ultimately remove illegal aliens who are currently incarcerated.

Not only do these policies go against the spirit and the letter of the laws enacted by this body, but they ultimately do a disservice to the very communities that they are designed to protect.

Local jurisdictions are increasingly implementing policies that bar State and local officials, including law enforcement officials, from asking people about their immigration statuses, from reporting them to Federal immigration authorities, or otherwise cooperating with or assisting Federal immigration authorities.

Some jurisdictions are even going farther to defy Federal law by implementing antidetainer policies that restrict local and State police from cooperating with Federal authorities that are seeking to remove aliens who have been arrested and charged with other crimes, and when local sheriffs choose to follow the Federal law and honor ICE detainers, some have been slapped with a lawsuit for cooperating with these detainers.

In response to a number of local jurisdictions for their refusing to honor ICE detainers in all or in many cases, former ICE Director John Morton warned of what would occur.

He said that:

The approach of one particular county is ultimately going to lead to additional crimes that would have been prevented had we been able to enforce the law as the law is presently written.

I ask my colleagues to join me in support of this amendment and send a clear message that, if localities and jurisdictions refuse to honor ICE detainers and implement policies in contradiction to Federal immigration law, they should not be eligible to receive funds under this act, specifically Federal reimbursement grants under the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program.

With that, Mr. Chair, I reserve the balance of my time.

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Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Chairman, I do appreciate the ranking member's opinion on that. As the son of a Georgia State trooper, I think the descriptions that you have just made are basically a little bit of hyperbole in the sense that when an officer or others go in an emergency and have this situation in which they would not act in the best interest of the situation which they are in.

All we are simply saying is we are not going to give Federal funds to cities and localities and States who want to directly contradict immigration local law in the normal course of business. That is exactly what this amendment does, and will continue to do so.

I reserve the balance of my time.

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