Political Quotes

“having had that discussion, I think it does clarify this amendment significantly and that it is important for us to look across this Nation. Once the sanctuary cat got out of the bag some years ago and local governments began passing for their own local interests sanctuary policies that directly contravene the 1996 Federal law, city after city picked up this policy, and we have three States that also have sanctuary policies. The result of these sanctuary policies has been that we have had people who have been into these cities who have been picked up for a number of reasons, whether they be for traffic violations, minor crime, assault, issues of that nature where they come in the course of contact with law enforcement, and because of the sanctuary policies, the officers have been prohibited from passing these individuals along to, at that time, the INS, and now the Department of Homeland Security for deportation. The result of that has been the death of at least one police officer in every major city in America. Not as a statement on the magnitude of this problem, but as samples of a magnitude that is far greater than that, we have got to have enforcement of our immigration laws. American people are not going to accept an immigration policy that would come at them without enforcement of our laws and this is one way to demonstrate the will of this Congress. Mr. Chairman, I reserve the balance of my time.”