Jerry Nadler: “I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, it has been said about this body that if you invent a nice enough…”

“I thank the gentlewoman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, it has been said about this body that if you invent a nice enough title for a bill, it doesn't matter what you write in the bill because all people know is what the title is. This bill is a good example of that. Who is in favor of criminal alien gangs? No one. But this bill has received no 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 legislation wouldn't provide decent protections against gang violence. It would shred due process protections and would allow deportation of innocent immigrants based on the flimsiest of evidence. It would establish a Star Chamber-like process for designating criminal gangs that would provide virtually no opportunity for them to contest such a designation. Once a group is 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 would be subject to mandatory detention while awaiting removal. The procedures under this bill would be laughable if they did not have such deadly consequences for so many innocent people. Suppose there are some people in my neighborhood that I think are up to no good. Maybe I have good evidence that they are committing crimes, or maybe I just don't like them.…”