Sheila Jackson Lee: “Opposing this, in particular, I would like to add this letter from The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights…”

“Opposing this, in particular, I would like to add this letter from The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and a letter from the American Immigration Lawyers Association. The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Washington, DC, September 13, 2017. Oppose H.R. 3697, the ``Criminal Alien Gang Removal Act'' Dear Representative: On behalf of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, I am writing to express our opposition to H.R. 3697, which creates new, sweeping grounds for barring entry to or deporting immigrants based on the mere suspicion of gang affiliation. We oppose H.R. 3697 for the following reasons: It would subject people who have never committed a crime to deportation, creating a new definition of ``criminal gang'' that is unworkably vague and could cover a wide range of organizations ranging from churches to fraternities to political groups. It shifts the burden to individuals to prove they did not know they were affiliated with a gang that committed qualifying offenses, even though proving such a negative is often impossible. It would expand the use of mandatory, no-bond detention to people facing removal under the bill, even if they have not been convicted of any criminal offenses. Deportations based on suspected gang membership or affiliation would likely rely on flawed gang databases, which are rife with inconsistent definitions, improper documentation procedures, and inadequate safeguards.…”