Blackburn Reintroduces CLEAR Act

Press Release

Congressman Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) today reintroduced her legislation to clarify the authority of state and local law enforcement to enforce federal immigration law. H.R. 2964, the Clear Law Enforcement for Criminal Alien Removal (CLEAR) Act, would ensure that state and local law enforcement officials have the tools necessary to help the Federal government deport criminal aliens from the United States. Blackburn has sponsored the CLEAR Act since 2007.

Blackburn's legislation would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), when a state or local law enforcement agency arrests an alien and requests DHS to take custody of that alien to (1) take the alien into federal custody and incarceration within 48 hours; or (2) request that the state or municipality temporarily incarcerate the alien or transport the alien to federal custody. The CLEAR Act would also require DHS to train state and local police in enforcement of immigration laws.

"President Obama's lawless amnesty is not only unconstitutional -- it is making our country less secure. His policies are turning every state into a border state and every town into a border town," Blackburn said. "That is why we are standing strong in our fight to secure the border and strengthen our interior enforcement in order to keep our cities and towns safe from dangerous criminals who come here illegally. We will continue to stand strong in our fight to stop executive amnesty and keep the pressure on this Administration and Democrats in Congress to do the right thing."

Noting the murder of a woman in San Francisco last week by an illegal alien who had previously been deported five times, Blackburn added: "It's very disingenuous for the Administration and Democrats, such as Hillary Clinton, to attack Republicans for the Open Borders Society that they have created. Hillary Clinton has previously supported sanctuary cities and even said that she would go further than President Obama on immigration. She will clearly continue this Administration's lawlessness and be nothing more than a Sanctuary President if elected."

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