Charles Norwood: “next week I will introduce legislation that received wide bipartisan support in the last Congress, the Clear Law…”

“next week I will introduce legislation that received wide bipartisan support in the last Congress, the Clear Law Enforcement for Removal of Criminal Illegal Aliens Act, better known as CLEAR. This bill seeks to address a major crisis in our country: the lack of enforcement of our immigration laws. The CLEAR Act makes clear that State and local law enforcement can and should help Federal agencies enforce these laws. We have no problem asking local law enforcement to help enforce Federal drug laws. We have no problem asking local agencies to help in Federal manhunts for murderers and terrorists. We even have no problem with deputy and police enforcing Federal laws against cigarette sales to minors. Yet when the issue of immigration enforcement arises, so do the squeals that immigration is a Federal responsibility and should not be pushed off on the States. They are right. It is a Federal responsibility. The problem is that the Federal Government is not taking their responsibility very serious. Mr. Speaker, the catastrophe of illegal immigration has already been pushed off on the States by the Federal Government flatly refusing to do its duty of enforcing the law. Our police and deputies spend billions combating illegal immigrant crime, including organized foreign gangs. This could have been prevented by vigorous Federal enforcement at the border. Our local jails are full of criminal illegal aliens, costing the States billions per year.…”