William F. Smith: “I support the King Amendment, which would designate funds to enforce a section of the United States Code that has been…”

“I support the King Amendment, which would designate funds to enforce a section of the United States Code that has been law since 1996. The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 prohibits states and localities from refusing to share information with the Federal government on the immigration status of individuals. Some localities don't allow their officers to report the illegal status of criminal aliens to the Federal government. This is a direct violation of Federal law and hinders our efforts to remove criminal immigrants from the United States. It turns these localities into resorts for illegal immigrants. The Federal government cannot do its job of deporting criminal aliens if law enforcement is not telling the Federal government who these individuals are. This results in a situation where criminal aliens are arrested, jailed, and then released into our communities where they commit more crimes. When State and local law enforcement officers arrest someone for a crime, and it becomes apparent that the person is an illegal alien, this should be reported to the Federal government so the individual can be deported. To hide the illegal status of a criminal alien only means more crime. This amendment does nothing to change existing immigration law. This amendment simply requires the Federal government to enforce current law.”