Ted Poe: “As a former prosecutor and felony court judge in Texas, I tried a lot of cases where the victims of homicide were peace…”

“As a former prosecutor and felony court judge in Texas, I tried a lot of cases where the victims of homicide were peace officers. Like any victim, these officers came from all ages and all races. The murder of a peace officer is one of the most serious crimes that can occur in any community. Unlike other victims, Mr. Chairman, peace officers carry the daily burden of protecting their communities from crime, everything from petty theft to the most violent and vicious of crimes. Every day these defenders of our cities put their lives on the line. They have asked to be in harm's way, and then when one is killed in the line of duty, their loss is deeply felt by the entire community. There are cases, however, when peace officers are killed and their killers happen to be immigrants from foreign countries, some legal immigrants, some illegal. And there are many cases where the home countries of these immigrants refuse to send them back to the United States to face their charges once they are requested to be extradited to the United States from their home country.”