Zoe Lofgren: “The title of this bill is the Criminal Alien Gang Member Removal Act, but, as we have seen in the past, the name of a…”

“The title of this bill is the Criminal Alien Gang Member Removal Act, but, as we have seen in the past, the name of a bill is not always reflected in the actual text of the bill, and that is true in this case, regrettably. As has been mentioned, section 2(a) of the bill defines criminal gangs so broadly as to sweep in many individuals that no one would think of as a gang member. The bill, for example, would classify any group of five that engages in harboring as a criminal gang. Now, harboring includes giving shelter to, or transporting, or providing other kinds of aid to undocumented immigrants. This means, as has been mentioned, that a religious organization that aids undocumented immigrants could be defined as a criminal gang. And any immigrant clergy or congregationalist that assists that organization would be deportable if they are a legal permanent resident, or on a religious worker visa, or the like. Now, this isn't just a hypothetical. During the 1980s, members of the religious communities were repeatedly prosecuted for providing transportation to undocumented immigrants. In one fell swoop, this bill could turn nuns into gang members. And that is why I include in the Record, Mr. Speaker, the letter that Mr. Hastings referenced from the nuns objecting to this piece of legislation for those reasons. Network Advocates for Catholic Social Justice.…”