Providing for Consideration of H.R. 3009, Enforce the Law for Sanctuary Cities Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. McGOVERN. I want to thank the gentleman from Colorado for yielding me the time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition to this closed rule. This process is an absolutely outrage. I also rise in strong opposition to H.R. 3009.

Mr. Speaker, along with all of my colleagues and every American, my heart goes out to the family of Kathryn Steinle. The murder of any innocent person is a tragedy, and after each such heinous crime, we always ask ourselves: Could this have been avoided? Could we have done something differently?

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3009 paints itself as a remedy to Kathryn Steinle's death, but it does nothing--absolutely nothing--to address how to improve communication between our law enforcement, immigration, prosecutors, and penal institutions, nor does it improve the protocols and practices of how decisions are made on the release or transfer of a prisoner against whom ICE has lodged a detainer request.

Instead, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3009 chose to penalize local law enforcement agencies and strip them of their Federal grants and funding when they prioritize working with immigrant communities in order to keep neighborhoods, cities, and towns safe.

Republicans would rather demonize these cities and local law enforcement agencies and force them to squander scarce local resources on immigration enforcement, instead of local policing. In effect, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3009 will make our cities and communities less safe, rather than more secure.

This is why law enforcement and city governments oppose this bill. It deliberately and cynically undermines their ability to protect their communities, nurture public trust in the police and our legal system, and strengthen our public safety.

H.R. 3009 is opposed by the Major County Sheriffs' Association, the Fraternal Order of Police, the National Criminal Justice Association, the Major Cities Chiefs Association, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and the National League of Cities; all of them strongly oppose this bill.

Mr. Speaker, this bill reeks of prejudice. It isn't meant to solve any problem. It is meant to punish cities that don't embrace the views of anti-immigrant extremists. It is meant to demonize all immigrants as criminals.

It means to punish any city, any police officer, any sheriff, and any cop on the beat who challenges the Republican anti-immigrant orthodoxy of ``hate them all'' and ``deport them all.'' Deport the DREAMers; deport the parents of U.S. citizens; deport children fleeing violence--deport, deport, deport.

Mr. Speaker, this House continues to wait and wait for the Republican majority to show some leadership and bring up a comprehensive immigration reform bill. It has been more than 2 years since the Senate passed a strong, bipartisan immigration reform bill; and we are still waiting for the House Republicans to act.

What we need is a way to bring 11 million of our neighbors, friends, colleagues, small-business owners, and hard-working residents out of the shadows. Let them register, be documented, and not fear talking with the police. Let us recognize their achievements and contributions to the American way of life.

This bill had no hearings, no markup, and no input from local law enforcement--no regular order. In fact, in the topsy-turvy world of the Republican House, the Judiciary Committee's Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee is holding its first hearing on this topic today--this morning--when this bill is already here on the House floor for debate and voted today.

No, Mr. Speaker, this bill is just more of the same, old, divisive Republican anti-immigrant formula. America is better than this, and I urge my colleagues to reject this closed rule and to oppose the underlying bill.

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