Transcripts For CSPAN House Debate On Criminal Alien Gang Members 20170914

This hourplus debate before members voted to pass the bill this morning. Se does the gentleman from idaho seek recognition . Mr. Labrador mr. Speaker, i all up the bill h. R. 3697, the criminal alien gang member removal act and ask for its immediate consideration. The speaker pro tempore the clerk will report the title of the bill. The clerk h. R. 3697, a bill to amend the immigration and nationality act with respect to aliens associated with criminal gangs, and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to House Resolution 513, the amendment printed in house report 115307 is adopted and the bill, as amended, is considered as read. The gentleman from idaho, mr. Labrador, and the gentlewoman from california, ms. Lofgren, each will control 30 minutes. The chair now recognizes the gentleman from idaho. Mr. Labrador mr. Speaker, i ask unanimous consent that all members may have five legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials to h. R. 3697. The speaker pro tempore without objection, so ordered. Mr. Labrador mr. Speaker, i rise today in support of h. R. 3697, the criminal alien gang member removal act. I introduced this bill with chairman goodlatte and representatives comstock and king for a very simple reason. The United States is facing an evergrowing danger from transnational gangs, and u. S. Immigration and enforcement, better known as i. C. E. , needs more tools to deal with this danger. The federal governments most important responsibility is the safety and security of the American People. However, were not fulfilling that responsibility when we allow gangs to illegally enter our country with the expressed purpose of victimizing innocent americans. In communities across our country, transnational gangs are using violence and the threat of violence to create a climate of fear that allows them to operate with near impunity. They regularly target local Business Owners and Law Enforcement officials. Innocent bystanders, those unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time are also paying a price. According to i. C. E. , these gangs, quote, have grown to become a serious threat in American Communities across the nation. Not only in cities but increasingly in suburban and even rural areas, and entire neighborhoods and sometimes whole communities are held hostage by and subjected to their violence, end quote. Furthermore, i. C. E. Has found that, quote, membership of these violent transnational gangs is comprised largely of foreignborn nationals, end quote. The most infamous transnational gang, of course, is ms13, which entered the u. S. In the 1980s. Today it has over 10,000 gang members operating in inside the United States alone operating inside the United States alone. At every level, our officials are working to curb this threat with largescale enforcement actions. This is with new dawn which had 1,100 arrests over a sixweek period. Victims and witnesses of gang crime are often reluctant to testify because of the quite reasonable fear of retaliation against them or their families. Thus, many gang members are never convicted of the crimes they have committed. The question is often asked why should lawabiding americans have to wait until an alien gang member has to have a reportable crime . Current Immigration Law contains dangerous loopholes that alien gang members are exploiting. Currently an alien may not be deported even if hes known to be a member of a criminal gang or participating in gang activities. I. C. E. Must wait for the gang member to be first convicted of a deportable offense. H. R. 3697 changes that. For the first time, i. C. E. Will be permitted to place alien gang members into removal proceedings on the grounds of being criminal gang members. Our bill sets out clear specifications for crimes are considered gang related, relining on long standing federal criminal law to determine what a gang or group consists of. In addition, our bill permits the secretary of Homeland Security using procedures already used by the secretary of state to designate a gang as a criminal gang. This would be done in a transparent way through notification to congress and publication in the federal register and with meaningful judicial review. The conclusive decision as to whether to place an alien in removal proceedings would rest with the department of Homeland Security. And when an alien is charged, the charge must be proven by evidence on the record in Immigration Court. I have heard some say that i. C. E. Will use these provisions to charge any alien they encounter with Gang Activity. Our bill will not allow that. As a former immigration attorney i know the importance of due process and know how important it is for immigrants and everyone within the jurisdiction of the Immigration Court to receive due process and i can tell you our bill is consistent with due process. Under h. R. 3697, i. C. E. Has the burden of proof when charging an alien with a deportable offense, and while the alien has the burden of proof when they are inadmirable, a denial of gang membership should be sufficient to shift the burden back to the government. The government must convince an immigration judge of its case and, of course, an alien order removed as a gang member has every right to appeal that order to the board of immigration appeals and then to the federal courts. Ultimately, h. R. 3697 is about providing Law Enforcement with the necessary tools to combat Gang Activity in every community in our country. This is essential if we as elected officials are committed to our responsibility to keep the American People safe and secure. That is the purpose of h. R. 3697. This is the third time this year the house is holding a floor vote on portions of the davisoliver act, which i introduced back in may, to make our country safer through stronger immigration enforcement. I am proud that the house passed the first two bills that came from davisoliver, kates law and the no sanctuary for criminals act, and i encourage my colleagues to vote for h. R. 3697 as well. We must take action now or watch crime rates rise in our nation. There is no place in our country for criminal alien gang members, and any legislation which makes it easier to deport them deserves the support of every member of this body. I urge all my colleagues to support this legislation and reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from idaho reserves the balance of his time. The gentlewoman from california is recognized. Mrs. Love depren good morning, mr. Speaker ms. Lofgren good morning, mr. Speaker. I yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized. Ms. Lofgren i rise in opposition to h. R. 3697. Gang members and serious criminals should not be granted admission to the United States. Thats not a controversial position. I think almost every member of congress, democrat or republican, agrees with that. Its our highest priority to protect the safety of the American People. Thats a duty i think we all take seriously. But this bill does something other than that. The title of the bill is the criminal alien gang member removal act, and as weve seen in the past, there are times when the name of a bill is not always reflected in the actual proposed language of the statute, and thats true in this case. First, section 2a of the bill defines criminal gang as an ongoing group, club, organization or association of five or more persons that has one of its primary purposes the commission of one or more of a wide range of offenses. This may seem reasonable until you look at the offenses listed. These offenses could sweep in many people that no reasonable person would think of as a gang member. For example, one of the offenses relates to the harboring of undocumented immigrants. This statute includes people who give shelter to, transport or provide other kinds of aid to undocumented immigrants. That means that under this bill, a religious organization that aids undocumented immigrants could be a criminal gang. Now, this isnt just theoretical. During the 1980s, members of the Faith Community were repeatedly criminally prosecuted for providing transportation to undocumented immigrants. In one case, the f. B. I. Even infiltrated a Bible Study Group to learn about the groups plan to support undocumented immigrants. Under this bill, d. H. S. Would have expanded authority to go after all such groups as criminal gangs. In one fell swoop, it could turn nuns into gang members. The bill also refers to felony drug offense which would include the repeated possession of marijuana. Now, in california, my state, along with several other states, voters decided to decriminalize marijuana. First, for medical uses, and later for broader uses. Under this bill, a group that regularly gets together to use marijuana thats legal under a state law would still be committing a felony under federal law and would be a criminal gang. That include groups of people who are using marijuana for medicinal purposes to treat epilepsy or cancer who are taking marijuana consistent with state law. Second, the bill authorizes d. H. S. To deny admission or to deport any immigrant, including one who has no criminal history or gang affiliation whatsoever so long as d. H. S. Merely believes the person is associated with such a group. Ection 2b and 2c of the bill expressly authorizes d. H. S. Officers and Immigration Judges to deport an immigrant on nothing more than a reason to believe that the individual has been a member of a gang or has participated in the activities of a gang as defined under these rather broad provisions. Theres no need for a conviction or even an arrest. All d. H. S. Needs is the belief that the individual assisted any group of five or more people that d. H. S. Believes has committed one of these long list of offenses. This belief could be as minimal as the color of a persons shirt, the neighborhood they live in or the individuals in their family. This is not just unreasonable, its probably unconstitutional. Now, chairman goodlatte had a selfactualizing amendment when change was adopted to the evidentiary standard. I think it recognizes the problem with the bill, but the amendment really doesnt cure the problem with the breath of the criminal gang definition and doesnt change the standard that applies to people seeking admission to the country, including those who are seeking reunite with u. S. Citizen spouses, spouses, pearnlts, children. I met with Police Officers who asked me to do what i could to defeat this unwise bill. They know, because theyre out on the front lines, that gangs are a real problem and they told me that bills like this, which could turn religious individuals, nuns, cancer victims into targets is just going to get in their way as Police Officers. If we want to keep america safe and admit immigrants who do not have a felony record, i would suggest that we consider the bipartisan dream act, h. R. 3440. This bill would provide a path to legal permanent residence for 800,000 young people who were raised in america, who consider this to be their home, who represent the very best of our country. Instead of debating whether we should allow i. C. E. Officers to target religious workers, we should focus on what really makes this country great. Now, i would like to note theres been much discussion about the drafting of this bill and that the rules committee allowed, i guess it was last night, republicans defended the bill by asserting that the broad provisions would not be abused by i. C. E. Officers even if they could target the nuns, that they wouldnt do that. Even if they could target the cancer victims or the teenagers smoking marijuana after school as gang members, that they wouldnt do that. Now, im not suggesting that the teenagers smoking marijuana after school, that thats a good thing, but its not ms13, and thats what were trying to make a distinction here between a gang abatement bill and garden variety activity that we may not like. Now, one really very good member, very thoughtful member on the other side of the aisle suggested that if theres a problem with the bill well just come back and fix it. Heres why thats a problem. We know that when we draft something in a poor manner, it often goes on to be enforced and we never get around to fixing it. Ill give you an example. We passed years ago i objected at the time. Henry hyde was chairman of the committee. About a provision that barred people from gaining status as they provided Material Support to terrorists. Well, that sounds like a good idea but what does it mean . It turns out that Material Support, which was never qualified to include support given under duress or given in the ordinary course of a commercial activity has now been used to bar people who are not terrorists, who didnt give Material Support and ill give you an example. A group of women and they are called the tortilla terrorists. These are women who were threatened with their lives and made tortillas because they were threatened with death for guerrilla actors. They were denied asylum because of the tortillas. Hence the name the tortilla terrorists. I think most of us would agree thats not terrorism. Yet we drafted the bill in such a way that the department felt that they had to enforce it in that way and we have never gone back to it. To think that somehow if we write a law poorliering its going to be fixed in the administration, thats just wrong. We should step back from this. We should Work Together. This was just introduced last week. I know the safe act had hearings years ago, but i think we would be better off if we sat down together, we reasoned together, we worked through the defects in this draft, and came up with a bill that really targeted ms13 members, something we could all support and well served our country. Ill just say that sister campbell, one of the leading nuns in america, explained her opposition to this bill. She said the bills harboring provisions under ina274 are so sweeping that religious workers shelter, shelter, transportation, or support to undocumented immigrants could be found libel of criminal activity. This statute has been used against religious workers in the past and the bill tries to make it a weapon for the future. Lets listen to the nuns like we did in school and step back, redraft this bill and today oppose this poorly drafted measure. I retain the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves the balance of her time. The gentleman from idaho recognized. Mr. Labrador im pleased to yield five minutes to the gentlelady from virginia, mrs. Comstock, one of the lead lead sponsor of this bill. E speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from virginia is recognized for five minutes. Mrs. Comstock thank you. Mr. Speaker, early this summer on a friday night, about 30 miles from this capitol, i went on a ride along in my district with our Northern Virginia Regional Task force. Gentlelady from virginia is recognized for five minutes. Mrs. Comstock a young boy standing on the sidewalk along sterling boulevard in sterling, virginia, caught the eye of a veteran member of our task force. The young man on the street looked about 15 or 16 years old, but he was actually a 22yearold member of the transnational violent street gang known as ms13. He was covered in ms13 gang ttoos, on his chest, back, feet. It turned out he had been in jail in el salvador for murder as a teenager and had already been deported from feet. It turned out he the u. S. Twice for engaging in Violent Crimes here. Three other of the estimated it thousands of ms13 gang members that are just here in our Capital Region were also picked up that night. There have been cases in Northern Virginia where suspected member of the ms13 gang has been deported five times yet returned again. To continue their Gang Activity. At a town festival in herndon this year, the Gang Task Force identified, because they go to these events and see these people, and there is an estimated 200 to 300 suspected gang members milling about among the families who are getting cotton candy and hot dogs for their kids, right there looking to recruit in their own communities. Mr. Speaker, since november, 2016, at least eight murders have been committed and tied to ms13 and other gangs in our area. Representing 166 increase over the last year in the Northern Virginia region. Ms13 linked vicious murder occurred in november, 2015. They are all vicious when you are talking about ms13. This happened on alexandria about und in the evening eight miles from this capitol. It resulted in the death of a 24yearold, joseer ifman. He was nearly decapitated in the machete about eight miles attack. His body was left on the playground and was goundfound her dog the king next morning. It could have been one of the kids playing on the playground finding that. The Washington Post has highlighted how the 2014 border surge has contributed to the ms13 problem and i her dog quo havent street gang is on the rise in the United States fueled in part by the surge in unaccompanied minors. A recent Washington Post article documented the case of gang members who videotaped the murder of a 15yearold girl who was savagely beaten by multiple people and repeatedly stabbed by all these gang members. The individual yes of this was intended to be sent to ms13 gang leadership in el salvador confirm that this green lit murder had been carried out. Tragically, ms13 targets and preys upon their own community. On young people who may not have much of a Family Structure around them. Sadly, these children and young ople were actually fleeing ms13 in their own countries only to come here and then be targeted. There was one case that fortunately the Northern Virginia Gang Task Force was able to intercept, but a brother was trying to enlist his own brother to join the ms13 gang. When he refused to, he put a hit out on him. Fortunately, the Gang Task Force was able to stop that. Allow this to stand. Mr. Speaker, the Northern Virginia Regional Task force is battling this problem in our region, but they still need more resources. In our appropriations process we have directed more resources for our Regional Task forces. I have personally talked to the mr. Speaker, the Northern Virginia Regional Task force is battling this problem in our egion, but Deputy Attorney general who is very family with this ms13 problem having been a u. S. Attorney in the maryland region. Our Regional Task force is comprised of 13 local, state, and federal Law Enforcement agencies antitask force has a threepronged approach, education, intervention and prevention, and enforcement. We need to provide support on all three of these fronts. I witnessed firsthand the deputy exhausting work that of the task force, the technology they utilize on the streets that was able to immediately identify just with fingerprints the background of this gang member they were able to arrest. The detailed knowledge they have of our communities and our neighborhoods. The relationships, the positive relationships they have with the people in these communities. The very people being victimized. And the challenges they face with this problem that has returned to our area. That is why i sponsored h. R. 3697, the criminal alien gang member removal act, with my olleagues so it will provide additional tools to Law Enforcement. It len sure that when i. C. E. Positively identifies a known alien gang member, they may additional tools to act immediately. This legislation identifies gang membership and participation in Gang Activity as grounds for removalability. We dont have to wait until these brutal killers wield their machetes or leave another body on a childrens playground. The speaker pro tempore the time of the gentlelady has mr. Labrador i yield an additional minute. Mrs. Comstock 00 thank you. This is marked improvement over durnt law where i. C. E. Must wait for specific convictions before removal proceedings can commit. The bill reserves as my colleague has already identified, all the due process and appellate rights afforded to any alien facing deportation. An immigration judge must be convinced the evidence and record sports the finding. I encourage support of this legislation today which will strengthen and enforce our laws against known violent gang members. I also will work continue to work with my colleagues on other matters such as the bill i introduced earlier this summer to provide Additional Resources to our regional Gang Task Forces for their education, intervention, and enforcement efforts. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the time of the gentlelady has expired. The gentlewoman from california is recognized. Ms. Lofgren mr. Speaker, i am pleased to yield four minutes to my colleague on the Judiciary Committee, the gentleman from new york, mr. Nadler. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new york is ecognized. Nadler mr. Speaker, it has been said about this body that if you invent a nice enough title for a bill it doesnt matter what you write in the bill because alt people know is what the title is. This bill is nadler mr. Speake been said about this body that if you invent a nice enough a g that. Who is in favor of criminal alien gangs . No one. Received no has Committee Consideration in which the questions could have been asked and the answers given to make sure that the bill would do what its sponsors say it does. But this wouldnt but this bill but this legislation wouldnt provide a decent protections against Gang Violence. It would shred due process protectses and allow deportation of innocent immigrants based on the flimsiest of evidence. Star ld establish a chamber like process for designating criminal gangs that would provide virtually no opportunity for them to contest such a designation. Once a group is star designated as a gang, an immigrant who is determined to be a member of that gang, determined under undefined procedures and standards, would be almost assured of being deported and subject to mandatory detention while awaiting removal. The procedures under this bill would be designated as a laugha not have such deadly consequences for so many innocent people. Suppose there is some people in my neighborhood that i think are up to no good. Maybe i have good evidence they are committing crimes or maybe i just dont like them. Either way, i submit a tip to Homeland Security that the group is engaging in activity qualifies as a criminal gang under this bill. Then qualifies as a criminal gang under this bill. Then based on undefined and unknown procedures, d. H. S. Can designate that group as a criminal gang. Would amass some sort of administrative record which is also completely undefined in the bill, but we know it can include secret evidence. No notice would be given to the group that it is under review, and no opportunity would be given to present evidence contesting the designation. No he kulpa torrey in doing so, it evidence. After designation there is a process for judicial review, unless the group has of scouring the federal register t. Would have no idea it ist has been labeled a gang and needs to go to court in 30 days. Somehow the group does learn of the designation, it ist has just po days to contest it and only in the federal court of appeals in washington, d. C. That review, however, would be based entirely on the administrative record amassed by the government. The group would have no opportunity to commit evidence o rebut the designation, which renders the process meaningless. That is not due process under the constitution. That is the sort of stacked process you would expect in a Banana Republic or russia. It gets worse. Under this bill, any alien is deportable if he or she is or has been a member of a designated gang or participated in the gangs activities knowing it would further would illegal activity. Who determines a person is a member after gang . By what procedure . What form or what court, using what standard . The bill given the goodlatte amendment does not say. A person need not have been convicted or charged with a crime to be deportable under this bill. And even when they are in removal proceedings, they would not be permitted to challenge the gang designation that landed them in those proceedings. Thus well have people deported on a basis of unfair and secret process with no notice and no meaningful opportunity to contest the basis for the deportation. That turns due process completely on its head. Keeping out members of ms13 and other deadly gangs is a worthy goal, but this bill would not do that. It would have disastrous consequences for thousands of people each year who may or may not be members of a gang, may or may not have evidence against them, and be caught up in its procedures. Mr. Speaker, just last week President Trump upended the lives of 800,000 dreamers who of face the possibility being draggedway from the only country they know. Our highest priority should be providing these young undocumented americans the legal status they need to serve our nation and be productive members of their communities. I notice that the speaker has said that while he supports relief for the dreamers, that bill has to go through committee. Why didnt this bill have to go through committee . Instead the republican majority seeks to distract us from the plight of the dreamers by returning to its deportation agenda based on the fear i have immigrants. This bill brings shame upon this house and due process and fundamental fairness. I urge my colleagues to reject this unconstitutional and unconscionable legislation and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. The gentleman from idaho is recognized. Mr. Labrador mr. Chairman, i know we spend a lot of time in committee talking about a loft different issues, the gentleman forgets we had three whole days of hearings on the davisoliver act which this bill was included in. And many arguments were made against the davis oli ever act. Most of the arguments being made today were not made against this part portion of the act. I recognize the gentleman from new york. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new york is recognized. How much . Mr. Labrador four minutes. Mr. Speaker, i thank the gentleman from idaho for yielding. I certainly commend mrs. Comstock for the outstanding job these done on this. Mr. King i stand here in strong support of this bill. It is absolutely essential that this congress do everything it can to eradicate and destroy ms13. It has turned my district into killing fields. In the last year and a half, 17 innocent young people have been slaughtered with machetes and knives by ms13. These are all young people and these are children of legal and illegal immigrants, documented, undocumented. This is the immigrant community thats being turned into a chamber of horrors by ms13. Some afraid to go to school. Parents afraid to let their kids out at night. 270 arrests in the last year alone. Ms13 is terrorizing communities in my district within 15, 20 minutes of my home. Im proud that this bill has en endorsed by the sergeants benevolence association. Nypd. When i talk about 17 murders, its exactly one year ago this week that two young teenage girls, both constituents of mine, were found slaughtered. Their bodies desecrated, mutilated, torn apart by ms13 but they happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. No gang connections. Nothing whatsoever. This is something which is required extensive coordination, Suffolk County police department, i. C. E. , h. S. I. , Homeland Security, f. B. I. , task forces, u. S. Attorneys office, all working around the clock to try to eradicate this evil. More has to be done. Thats what this bill is about. We cannot allow gang members taking advantage of loopholes in the Immigration Laws. To me nothing could be more shameful for us not to do our job. Nothing would be more violent constitution to protect from all enemies foreign and domestic for us not to pass legislation such as this. Essential. Lutely this isnt theoretical, hypothetical, for those concerned about immigrants, those concerned about daca, i support daca, those concerned about who supported want the helpless in our society, how could you take any action which would prevent us from going after ms13 in its a violent, vicious gang f we dont stand together as one f. We continue to make a hypothetical arguments of parade of horblets, were subjecting and putting more young people, innocent young people, documented and undocumented, in the line of fire, putting them into the killing fields. Applaud the president , attorney general, i also support the Democratic Leaders in Suffolk County, all of whom have come together in a bipartisan effort to stamm many out ms13. We must do more. This bill is major step in that direction. Im proud to support it. Oud mr. Goodlatte, mr. Brador, mrs. Comstock in doing this. This isnt make believe. This isnt something we dream b this is going bad day after day after day in my district and other districks. These are animals. They need to be eradicate interested our society. This bill is major step in that direction. I stand in strong support for the bill and urge adoption. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from new york yields back. The gentlewoman from california is recognized. Ms. Lofgren this bill was undeed part of the davisoliver act which did go through the Judiciary Committee, but that bill was over 200 pages long. It had many, many problems. Was impossible to address this. We would have been there for a month if we had gone through line by line. If it was perfect chairman goodlatte would not have his amendment to remove the reason to believe standard that was in the bill that was part of the davisoliver act. I would at this point yield four minutes to the gentlelady from texas, my colleague on the Judiciary Committee, about this bill. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady from texas is recognized for four minutes. Ms. Jackson lee i thank the gentlelady and thank her for her leadership. Mr. Speaker, this bill is as much a criminal justice or injustice bill as it is immigration. Certainly as the Ranking Member on the criminal justice a committee, i am both believer in the dangers of ms13 as many of my colleagues are. I offer concern and recognition of their violence. That is why this bill should be defeated, because something as crucial as this does not need to be litigated in the courts. You make a bill with such insufferable frailts constitutionally frailities constitutionally without bipartisanship, that doesnt set a Legal Standard of what is the definition or the understanding of a criminal gang. This is done in consultation with the attorney general, who is an opponent of any form of immigration, legal or undocumented, consulting with the Homeland Security secretary of which i am a member of that committee, and the dominant factor will be the attorney general talking to the Homeland Security secretary about criminal elements. Who do you think will prevail . How many will be swept up in his expansive, nonorganized, nonorderly, nondue process legislation . The frailities of this bill is a very number, if you will, five. Five persons can be called a criminal gang. Mothers and fathers, listen. Innocent behavior of young people tattooed or having friends could be called a criminal gang. Yes. Individuals who have status could be deported. An ongoing group, Club Organizations or associations. Theyve expanded this. Maybe High School Kids who may gather to smoke marijuana. Maybe this would cover sanctuary cities like churches that aid undocumented immigrants. All were asking is let us Work Together to get a bill that fights ms13, not fights innocent people. The bill defines criminal gang a group thats been designated as a criminal gang, as i said by the d. H. S. Secretary, in consultation with the attorney general. It is unwise and irresponsible to not have the kind of organized framework. That happens from not having Committee Hearings and markups. It happens when you dont engage Police Officers in a wide bred from breath from many different aspects. Im disappointed this bill didnt have the subcommittee on crime have input. And that would have happened if we had a hearing in the immigration subcommittee, hearing in the full committee, as i mentioned. It lacks a constitutional construct. We are headed down a terribly unsophisticated road. According to the office of juvenile justice and delinquency prevention, 48,000 juvenile offenders were held in residential facilities. We dont need to add more, but heres the outcome. They are not just held, they are deported. And, again, i emphasize to my colleagues, that the ages could be very young because there are no firewall dealing with the ages that might be swept up in this wide sweep of those who deserve to be responded to in a way that is not this bill. This bill pretends to be wrapping up and rounding up bad actors that are undocumented immigrants. Thats the big calling card. I would ask that, mr. Speaker, that my colleagues vote against this bill. I ask to submit into the record fast check immigration doesnt ing crime into the u. S. By pbs news hour and opposing this in particular, id like to add this to the Leadership Conference on civil rights and american Immigration Lawyers, american Immigration Lawyers association that clearly says this is not a bill against crime. Its a deportation bill. Save our children, mr. Speaker. Lets do Something Different and defeat the underlying bill. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore without objection, those letters will be placed in the record. The time of the gentlelady has expired. The gentleman from idaho is recognized. Mr. Labrador i agree we should save our children and we need to start deporting some criminal gang members. I yield five minutes to the chairman of the entire committee, the gentleman from virginia. The speaker pro tempore chairman goodlatte is recognized for five minutes. Mr. Goodlatte mr. Speaker, i thank the gentleman from idaho and our chair of our subcommittee for yielding. I rise today in strong support of h. R. 3697, the criminal alien gang removal member removal act. Transnational criminal gangs have declared war on the United States. Their tactics of intimidation and unspeakable mutilation and killing have permeated most every part of our country, including multiple instances in my own district. Most recently, in bedford county, virginia, a young man was killed by alien members of ms13. The department of Homeland Security reports an evergrowing number of criminal aliens joining International Gangs such as ms13 which alone has over 10,000 members within our borders. Whether these criminals came to this country illegally as unaccompanied minors, adults or have valid visas or even green cards, its time to send the message this behavior will simply not be tolerated. Yet, current Immigration Law includes no provision allowing for the removal of criminal gang members based on their membership in dangerous gangs or participation in gang activities. The result is unconscionable. I. C. E. Must sit on the sidelines and wait for known gang members to be arrested and convicted of specific offenses before removal proceedings may commence. Of course, with many victims and witnesses too petrified of retaliation against them and their families to cooperate with police, many gang members are never convicted of their crimes. This legislation provides a crucial tool so that i. C. E. Can seek to remove alien gang members before they are able to extort businesses and murder innocent americans. In addition, this bill allows the secretary of Homeland Security to designate organizations as criminal gangs, utilizing the same transparent procedures used by the secretary of state to designate foreign terrorist organizations. Finally, the bill ensures that criminal alien gang members cannot receive asylum and be released back onto our streets able to resume their criminal activities while being eligible for a vast array of federal benefits. Eradicating the death grip that transnational criminal alien gangs hold over many of our communities, especially immigrant communities, is an important piece of immigration reform. I am pleased that this bill, which stems from legislation that the house has approved in the past and which has been approved by the Judiciary Committee in multiple congresses, is being considered today. Now, i want to address the allegation that this bill targets priests and nuns and garage band members. It is preposterous. This bill deliberately includes the long standing federal criminal offenses for alien smuggling as predicates for criminal Gang Activity. Coyotes and other criminal gangs make billions of dollars and put countless lives at risk through their alien smuggling activities. As former u. S. Attorney David Iglesias who emigrated to the United States from latin america as a child said, quote, smuggling aliens across our border is a dangerous business. All too often people entrust their lives to smugglers only to die in the broiling desert or suffocate in the back of locked, airless trucks while the smugglers profit. These smuggling rings, which facilitate illegal entry into the United States and mercilessly exploit human beings for money, are a danger to immigrants and a threat to our national security. The democrats are engaging in a huge amount of on fisscation in the past the house passed legislation that would have strengthened federal alien smuggling laws, would have the effect of putting priests and nuns at risk of prosecution. The democrats clear implication was these problems didnt exist under then current law which remains current law. Let me quote, Democrat Members of the house Judiciary Committee, including john conyers, jerry nadler, zoe lofgren, Sheila Jackson lee, said the bill goes far beyond increasing penalties among alien smuggling and jeopardizes the wellbeing of millions of americans, faith institutions, others who live and work with undocumented immigrants. Former speaker pelosi, current minority leader, stated, under the guise of an expansive definition of smuggling, the bill would make criminals out of catholic priests and nuns, ministers, rabbis, and social Service Workers who provide assistance and ax of charity to those in acts of charity to those in need. The democrats cant have it both ways. They cant argue we cant change current law because that would result putting priests and nuns at risk and argue the next day without any evidence current law already puts them at risk. To add to the hypocrisy, the House Democrats supported an amendment which passed by voice vote. The speaker pro tempore the time of the gentleman has expired. Mr. Labrador i yield the gentleman an additional two minutes. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized for an additional two minutes. Mr. Goodlatte to add so to add to the controversy, the House Democrats supported an amendment which passed by voice vote to add human smuggling to the list of predicate acts under the federal Money Laundering statute. The department of justice and the immigration and Customs Enforcement agency simply do not target clergy and others who do not make distinctions based on immigration status when serving those in spiritual or material need. The use of such law is against religious organizations and other humanitarian groups has been practically nonexistent. Of course, as in the Sanctuary Movement in the 1980s when religious organizations engaged in the actual smuggling of illegal aliens in the United States they would be subject to prosecution, just as anyone else would, but this bill is based upon the same precedence thats already been passed through this house by voice vote dealing with human smuggling. Its time to apply the same standard to alien gang members who are perpetrating violence, not just on people traveling to the United States, as in the case of human smuggling, but on the citizens of virtually every state in the union. The murders that have been outlined by mr. King from new york, by mrs. Comstock of virginia, by mr. Labrador of idaho and others are taking place all across the country because we simply are not removing from this country as expeditiously as possible members of gangs like ms13. Its time to get about doing that and this bill does just that. I want to commend representative barbara comstock, representative peter king, and the chairman of our immigration and Border Security subcommittee, representative raul labrador, for their work on this important bill and i urge my colleagues to support h. R. 3697 and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the recognizes the gentlelady from california. Ms. Lofgren madam speaker, i would ask unanimous consent to an analysis record of the law harboring prepared by the catholic Legal Immigration network. In this legal analysis by the catholics it does point out religious persons have been ana of the law harboring prepared prosecuted and convicted for providing sanctuary. Opinions may differ on whether thats a good idea or bad idea, but to say that thats an ms13 activity i think we would all agree, thats crazy. Thats what this bill would do. Would like now to yield to a freshman member of the house, were so fortunate to have congresswoman val demings from florida. Just last year she was on the frontline in the fight against gangs as the chief of police. I yield to her. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentlelady from florida. Mrs. Demings thank you so much, madam speaker. Thank you so much for yielding to me. I spent 27 years as a Law Enforcement officer. Le i have the honor of working my way up throughout ranks to become the chief of police. I cochaired an antiGang Task Force for the state of florida. As chief i launched an allout war against Violent Crime. And through the hard work of a lot of good men and women, we were able to reduce Violent Crime by 40 . So do i take Gang Activity very seriously . You Better Believe i do. And i have the record to prove that. But the spirit, the spirit of new 3697 with this broad what constitutes a gang has nothing based on my experience on the ground, has nothing to do with curtailing Gang Activity. There is no way i would vote for this law. As a former Law Enforcement officer who has been there on the frontlines, because this law targets a group of people based on their status and does not target criminal activity. Thats what Law Enforcement officers do. I invite my colleagues on the other side of the aisle because we do, we all do, we take Gang Activity seriously. I heard the question earlier, who would favor gangs . Who really would favor gangs . So i invite my colleagues on this side to join me in continuing our aggressive efforts to target criminal behavior. Because thats really what we want to stop. Criminal behavior and not profile or target people. Because that is just not who were. Thank you so much, madam speaker. And i yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady yields. The chair recognizes the gentleman from idaho. Mr. Labrador we reserve. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman reserves. The chair recognizes the gentlelady from california. Ms. Lofgren may i ask whether there are additional speakers . Mr. Labrador not at this point. Ms. Lofgren thank you very much. I yield myself such time as i may consume. I would like to first ask unanimous consent to put into the record the statement of john conyers, our Ranking Member. The speaker pro tempore that will be covered by general leave. Ms. Lofgren i want to make a couple of closing comments on this bill. I think its a given that every member, i think every single ember of this body wants to do something about gangs. I have gangs in my district. I think i heard mr. King speak so passionately about the problem in his district. Its a pervasive problem. The concern is this bill goes far beyond targeting those gangs. And thats why we, with great reluctance, have to say we cant do this. We cant do this. Because if we wanted to target just the gangs, we wouldnt ave included language that would allow charges people who are not gang members as gang members. We wouldnt have included of sions that the victims gangs would be denied asylum. The bill in section 2f denies individuals who are suspected of of gangs would alleged gang member opportunity to apply for asylum. Heres the problem. In certain parts of central america, you have you have rampant Gang Activity. Women and girls are terribly abused. They are beaten. They are turned into sex slaves. They are tattooed. They are and they escape. And if that young girl who has been the victim of that violence from gangs comes, shes got the tattoos, the brand that that gang put on her. And if she, as a consequence, is reasonably suspected of being a member of the gang, she get asylum. Thats not what we want in the fight of the against ms13. The bill is not drafted adequately. Get asylum. Thats would like at this point to reserve the balance of my time as i understand mr. Labrador has an additional speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady reserves her time. The chair recognizes the gentleman from idaho. Mr. Labrador thank you. I recognize now the gentleman from texas for two minutes. The speaker pro tempore the chair recognizes the gentleman from texas for two minutes. I want to thank my colleague, mr. Speaker. Ms13 gang members brutally murdered a 14yearold boy from texas with a machete. Just this year two ms13 gang members laughed and waved at the cameras as they faced trial in a houston courtroom for the kidnapping, rape, and murder of young girls. Mr. Arlingeton these are two examples that reflect the horrific and gruesome reality what gangs across this country are capable of. There are as many as 100,000 gang members in my home state of texas. Several of which are linked to mexican cartels who help them distribute drugs, traffic people and weapons. Nearly 60 have identified prison gang members in texas are serving sentences for Violent Crimes, including homicide, robbery, and assault. Ms13 is one of the most dangerous gangs in our state ith almost 500 members throughout texas. They have been described by the Houston Police chief as a transnational terrorist organization. Quote, the worst of the worst and a cancer. Its state and local Law Enforcement officers like him, gang forces on the frontlines putting their own lives in danger to deal with these criminals. Today i rise in support of mrs. Comstocks bill which will do what we should have been doing a long time ago, and thats giving local entities the ability to expeditiously deport who are here legally illegally and ensure they never are able to come back to the United States. Our first job is to keep americans safe. H. R. 3697 certainly improves the prospects of that. I yield back. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields. The chair recognizes the gentlelady from california. Ms. Lofgren may i quine inquire how much time remains on each side . The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady who are from califor six minutes. The gentleman from idaho has 5 1 2. Ms. Lofgren i would like to make just a few additional comments then. It has been mentioned that activities rrible being undertaken by gang members. And i dont think theres any dispute in this body about that. Our obligation is to craft bills that will allow for remedies for that problem. In a specific and targeted and effective way. And i think this bill falls far hort in that regard. We had mentioned earlier the great concern that has been expressed to us by religious people across the United States about the provisions relative to harboring. Worker s on a religious visa who help provide sanctuary for an undocumented person is a gang under this bill. They are not ms13. We could craft a measure that avoids that outcome while still going after ms13. We didnt do that. For one thing. We didnt actually sit down to work s of the aisle together to reason together, to make that happen. I would like to note in terms of the smuggling issue. Thats a big problem. We have unanimous agreement on the smuggling issue. We have worked together with the wilbur force act and other acts in a bipartisan way to deal with that. But we didnt bifurcate smuggling from harboring in this bill. Thats why the nuns and the catholic bishops have contacted us asking us not to support this bill. I would like to note just le the first obligation that we have is to keep america safe. And we fail to do that if we craft language that really is just part of the broad deportation agenda under the guise of an antigang bill. And theres great concern that that is what has happened here. One of the elements that is referenced in as a predicate for Gang Activity, the five people who are working together, is undocumented documents that are false. A lot of people are highly agitated when undocumented people have false documents. Opinions differ. Almost every undocumented person in the United States who works has a fake i. D. Because get a job. Ey cant you can agree with that. You can think its terrible. You think maybe its not so terrible. I think most of us would agree its not ms13. Such uld we craft this in a way to treat that activity as an ms13 activity . And to blow up all of the procedures that we have in place that makes sure that justice is done. I think i hope that members will vote against this bill despite the name, it goes far beyond attacking gangs. Into allowing for the deportation of religious into people and other have done nothing related to Gang Activity. I hope that if this bill is defeated that we can sit down, as we often have, on various items, we sit down and work collaboratively on patten reform issues, other issues patent reform issues, other issues. I hope if this bill is defeated well take the opportunity to do that. I for one pledge my best efforts to come up with a measure that is targeted and effective. This bill, unfortunately, is not. With that i yield back the alance of my time. The chair the gentlelady yields. The chair recognizes the gentleman from idaho. Mr. Labrador thank you, madam speaker. Apparently i keep hearing again and again there is no dispute he gentlelady about ongoing violence or Gang Violence in the United States. But what has been clear from todays argument is that our friends on the other side, they just dont want to do anything about it. I hope its something the American People are listening to, because as we have debates over the next few months about what we should be doing with regard to immigration, i hope everyone understands that every time we try to do something about enforcement of Immigration Laws, about stopping Gang Violence, about stopping ilLegal Immigration in the United States its very difficult to get agreement on the other side. Criminal alien gang members are wreaking havoc in this country. Without stronger tools to specifically target those aliens that terrorize our streets, gangs will continue to grow in numbers and in strength. The time has come to take action and to provide a path to deportation to those that so unabashedly seek to destroy our society. I. C. E. Has found that, quote, membership of these violent transnational gangs is surprised largely of foreignborn nationals, closed quote. Often bearing the brunt of these Gang Violence are the very immigrant communities that the other side claims they want to protect. The criminal alien gang member removal act takes a tough approach, i agree with that. Those gang members who have successfully evaded prosecution through witness intimidation, employing the tactics of fear and violence will now be within i. C. E. s reach. The new grounds of removability provided by h. R. 3697 will get criminal gang members off of our streets. I. C. E. s recent operation new dawn resulted in almost 1,100 arrests of gang members. Had h. R. 3697 had been enacted prior, that number would have almost certainly increased. This bill is only starting the removal process, however. Make no mistake and there was a lot of talk today about this. Immigration proceedings do not equate to deportation. The government must prove its case and provide evidence to convince an immigration judge that gangrelated activity occurred. As a former private immigration attorney, ive seen this process in action and it does work. I. C. E. Will not use this new wont as pretext as it be sustained by an immigration judge without sufficient evidence. The time for this bill is long overdue, and we cannot afford to be distracted by extreme hypotheticals and issues not germane to what were discussing today. This bill was introduced to target criminal gangs, as that term is commonly understood, and that is what it will do once enacted. I urge my colleagues to vote there is no place in our country for criminal alien gang members. By removing them from our streets, h. R. 3697 will help make our communities safer. I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore all time for debate has expired. Pursuant to House Resolution 513, the previous question is ordered on the bill, as amended. The question is on engrossment and third reading of the bill. Those in favor say aye. Those opposed, no. The ayes have it. Third reading. The clerk a bill to amend the immigration and nationality act with respect to aliens associated with criminal gangs, and for other purposes. The speaker pro tempore for what purpose does the gentleman from virginia seek recognition . Madam speaker, i have a motion to recommit at the desk. The speaker pro tempore is the gentleman opposed to the bill . I am opposed. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman qualifies. The clerk will report the motion. The clerk about buyer of virginia moves to recommit the bill h. R. 3697 to the committee on the judiciary with instructions to report the same back to the house forthwith with the following amendment. Add at the end of the bill the following section, protecting innocent religious workers from deportation. Nothing in this act or the amendments made by this act may be construed to offer the authorize the deportation taken on behalf of a religious organization whose primary purpose is the provision of humanitarian assistance or aid. The speaker pro tempore pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from virginia is recognized for five minutes in support of his motion. Mr. Beyer thank you, madam speaker. This is the final amendment to the bill which will not kill the bill or send it back doe. If adopted, the bill back to committee. If adopted, the bill will move to vote. The sponsor of this bill, mrs. Comstock, and i both represent Northern Virginia and she and i both want to eliminate Gang Violence. Ms13 is a menace to society, and i endorse the goal of destroying it through legal means. This bill wouldnt do that. This bill would promote widespread racial profiling. It will violate First Amendment protections. It will expand mandatory detention of immigrants. It will raise serious constitutional questions and reveal of certain groups, and it bars humanitarian relief for individuals in violation of international treaties. Gang, violence and ms13, i take seriously. The young man mrs. Comstock referred to found dead in a park in my city of alexandria was found by a dear family friend. But we can do this in a bill that doesnt promote racial profiling or violate the constitution. So in this motion to recommit, we offer language to get at one of the most glaring flaws in this bill, that it can go after humanitarian workers. The criminal alien gang member removal act creates an overly broad definition of a criminal gang. Allowing d. H. S. To essentially designate any individual as a gang member. As written it could cover a wide range of organizations, ranging from churches to fraternities to political groups. This will allow i. C. E. To target people who may or may not appear to be in a gang and charge all those who seem in any way connected to individual members of a gang. Religious workers who are engaged in Immigration Ministry can be subject to prosecution. It is not smuggling in airless trucks. In my district, if a number of faith communities who provide for the unemployed, homeless, those without language already i. C. E. Swept up half a dozen men as they exited a church service. Under this bill, the pastor could be next. If a nun through her work interacts with a potential gang member she, by the context of this bill, could be a gang member. Its not actually that the Catholic Bush ops and nuns have written to oppose this bill. The harboring provisions are so sweeping, the religious workers who provide shelter, transportation or support to undocumented immigrants can be find liable of criminal activity. This is not transportation across the u. S. Border. This is transportation to work or to english lesson classes. Its incredibly concerning it would subject people who have never committed a crime, never been arrested, never been indicted to deportation and it would apply retroactively. Indeed, mere suspicion of involvement in harboring could classify individuals as gang members. So its very obvious here that humanitarian exemption is needed, but thats not the only concern with this bill language. The overly broad definition would empower immigrant authorities to conduct dragnet sweeps of latino communities and other communities of color. Media reports make it clear that Law Enforcement has recently relied on questionable and unrelyable evidence to assert that latino individuals are gang members, including wearing certain kinds of a zip code otling on a class notebook. And People Living in neighborhoods known to suffer Gang Activity. This expansive language could and will sweep up people who have committed no criminal activity whatsoever. As a representative of virginia, a state with a long and troubled history with race, i think we need to be very careful before we implement policies that allow for structural racism. This bill has many more flaws with the general debate concerned, but i want to be clear. Before we pass this bill and start locking up nuns and priests and other religious workers, we should not continue this onedimensional conversation on immigration policy. We cannot focus only on enforcement and a mass deportation agenda. It doesnt fix our immigration system. We got to work on comprehensive immigration reform. We begin with the president s recent decision to eliminate daca and put congress on the clock. We should be acting today to protect our dreamers. 800,000 young immigrants, not members of ms13, their lives depend on it. I urge my colleagues to vote for this motion to recommit, and i yield back, madam speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back his time. For what purpose does the gentlelady from virginia seek recognition . Mrs. Comstock i rise in opposition to the motion to recommit. The speaker pro tempore the gentlelady is recognized for five minutes. Mrs. Comstock i thank you, madam speaker. In 2015, on an alexandria playground, mr. Beyers district, eight miles from this capitol, the body of a 24yearold man was left nearly decapitated in a grizzly murder by one of the thousands of ms13 gang members in our country. I should also mention that victim was also an ms13 gang member. This very capitol region has the second highest number of ms13 gang members. Criminal alien gang members are growing in numbers in our region around the country and wreaking havoc. In my district and in this very region. Without stronger tools to specifically target those aliens, those specific aliens, this bill targets them, that terrorize our streets, gangs like ms13 will then continue to grow in numbers in strength if we arent targeting them. The time is come to take action and provide a path for deportation for violent criminal gang members. I. C. E. Has found that membership of these violent transnational gangs is comprised largely of foreignborn nationals. Often bearing the brunt of these gangs, violence vy Gang Violence, are the immigrant communities which they reside. They have target their own communities. Weve seen that in my district and thats why its so troubling. The act will address this. Those gang members who successfully evaded prosecution through fear tactics will now been within i. C. E. s reach. This bill will help get criminal gang members off our streets. I. C. E. s recent operation new dawn has resulted in almost 1,100 arrests of gang members. Had this bill been enacted prior, that number could have increased. This bill is only starting the removal process, however. Make no mistake, regular immigration proceedings will still apply. The government must prove its case and provide evidence to convince an immigration judge. This bill preserves all due process and aplate rights afforded to any appealate rights afforded to any alien. The bill is long overdue. It was introduced to target criminal gangs, as that term is commonly understood, and that is what it will do once its enacted. I urge my colleagues to vote down this motion to recommit, to vote for the base bill h. R. 3697 and to provide i. C. E. With the tools it needs to keep dangerous criminal alien gang members off our streets, out of our commu that bill passing in the house this afternoon, and the Washington Examiner with a related story. They write that voters in 11 battleground states key to controlling the senate in 2018 and the presidency in 2020 overwhelmingly support the Trump Administrations efforts to end socalled sanctuary policies for illegal immigrant criminals in over 300 cities, according to a new poll onducted by zogby analytics. Over 77 want the senate to pass the no sanctuary for criminals act, already okd in the house. The examiner writing even more significantly over 83 of hispanics want the sanctuary cities to obey federal demands to cooperate with immigration and Customs Enforcement and turn over illegals sought for deportation. Read more at ashingtonexaminer. Com. Cspans profile series of Trump Administration officials continues tomorrow night with ben carson, secretary of housing and urban development. He talks about his childhood, how he met his wife, his career as a doctor, his run for the president and his interaction with President Trump. Heres a preview. Secretary carson well, the mission, of course, is to provide safe, Affordable Housing and it has to be quality housing for people. But in addition to that, we want to build communities, complete communities instead of just stuffing people into a house. You need to have educational facilities there. You need to have a mechanism that allows people to become employable. You know, you need to have food. You cant have these food deserts. And you have to incentivize, you know, the Grocery Stores to come in there. It has to be a safe environment. In other words, you have to you have to have a complete and nurturing community. And thats why were restructuring things here because otherwise we just continue down the same road that weve been on for decades and decades, and what we wind up is people who are just, you know, quite complacent to be in e same Public Housing that their mother or grandmother was in. Not saying anything bad about their grandmother or mother. I understand you have to say that now. But what i am saying is we have to create ladders of opportunity so that people can move up and once again recapture the American Dream and start thinking about what they can do, not what they cant do, and not what somebody else needs to do for them. Watch all of our profile interview with housing secretary ben carson. Thats coming up tomorrow night at 8 00 eastern here on cspan