The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from South Carolina is recognized to close. Mr. Gowdy i want to thank chairman goodlatte for his leadership on this and so many issues of significance on the judiciary committee. His steady hand and brilliant legal mind. Mr. Speaker, i want to thank the family of kate steinle during this time of unspeakable grief. Bearing a child, mr. Speaker, is what each of us who has ever been called mom or dad, fears the most. After Trayvon Martin was killed, the president said that could have been my son, mr. Speaker. And when i see a picture of a beautiful kate steinle smiling, that could have been any of our daughters. And it still can be because what happened to her, mr. Speaker, can and will happen again if we do not get serious about enforcing the law. John francisco lopezsanchez had a quarter centurys worth of lawlessness. He committed local state and federal crimes in five separate states. And each time had so little regard for the law of this country that he reentered that border that we are supposed to have functional control over. His procedural history mr. Speaker, is ever every bit as disturbing in may of 2011. He was convicted and sentenced to 46 months in prison for illegal reentry. He was released from the bureau of prisons to a city of sanctuary. San francisco did not prosecute the old drug case. They dismissed it which surprises exactly no one and then released this defendant. They did not return him to the bureau of prisons or federal probation. They did not honor the detainer that had been placed by i. C. E. They released him who was not supposed to be in the country in the first place with this horrific criminal history. They released him, so he would be free to walk around and shoot someones daughter, which is exactly what he did. Mr. Speaker we are given a litany of excuses. I have heard them this morning, for policies like this. We are told that we need policies like the one in San Francisco so people will cooperate with Law Enforcement. I want you, mr. Speaker, to consider, just utterly illogical that comment is. We need to release known criminals back into society. So society will help us catch known criminals. How absurd is that . That we are going to release people that should be deported that are repeat felons so other people will help us catch those who should be deported. For almost five years mr. Speaker, i have worked along side chairman goodlatte, and i have heard a litany of phrases with almost cat tonic frequency such as like, functional control over the border, but i have yet to hear how someone can reenter five times if you have functional control over the border. I heard we need citizenship for 11 million, as if 11 million of any category can pass a background check. I heard arguments against empowering state and local Law Enforcement to assist in the enforcement of our Immigration Laws, mr. Chairman. Now stop and think, we trust them to do murder cases, sex assault cases kidnapping cases narcotics trafficking. You even trust them to provide security, mr. Speaker, at their own functions back in the district. When it comes to Immigration Law, no, sir we dont trust you to enforce Immigration Law. Everything else, including our own security, here and in washington and back in the district, but god forbid we trust local cops to help us with Immigration Law. The president says we need Immigration Reform so folks will, to use his words, come forward, get on the books, get right with the law. I want to ask yourself, what in mr. Lopezsanchezs background would come forward and why in the hell does he need to be on the books. He is in the bureau of prisons. And you had him and you let him go. Which brings me to my favorite phrase mr. Speaker sanctuary cities. It has almost a utopian sound to it doesnt it . Well as the speaker knows, the definition of sanctuary is a place of refuge and safety. My folks in fran and my colleagues who support this policy, is a refuge for whom . A sanctuary for whom . A refuge for kate steinle . A sanctuary for kate steinle or a refuge for a convicted felon with a 25yearlong criminal history . So the phrase sounds benign. But it was no sanctuary for her. It may have been for him. But it sure as hell wasnt for her. Mr. Speaker, my message to San Francisco would be simple, you wont honor our detainers, we wont honor your warrants. If detainers are too much for you to handle perhaps federal money will be too much undocumented immigrants. Now that house hearing. It is about two hours. The immigration subcommittee will come to order. I want to start this morning with a matter of requesting reports from department of Homeland Security for the potential beneficiaries of hr422 for the relief of corina and hr396 for the relief of Maria Ramirez and jay rojas. From the Immigration Service and the department of homeland subcommittee report on the beneficiary bill u. S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement removes the aliens and i will support requesting the beneficiary on these two private bills if they find no derog derogtory information. The committee has approved and passed these bills in the past but they didnt come to law. One bill grants permanent residents to a couple with children who cannot be treated out of outside of the United States. The other is coming to take care of her husband. Would you like to make comments . I would just note you have correctly stated the matter and we are of one mind when it comes to these private bills. Without objection i would ask any written statements be made part of the written record. Questions on the motion those in favor say aye. Those no. The ayes have it. The motion is agreed to and report is requested. I want to welcome everyone the sanctuary cities a threat to Public Safety. I will recognize myself for opening statement. I want to thank all of the witnesses for being here and expect mr. Steinle, my profound sympathy to you and to kates mother mother. The function of government is to provide for the safety and security of the public. It is among one of the reasons be agree to be bound by a collection of laws. We want those who love to be protected. We abide by the law and hope others are bound. What makes the relationship difference is the respect to the law because it is the greatest Unifying Force in the culture and equalizing force in the culture. We think so highly of the law that we make aspiring citizens take an oath that contains six separate references to the law. This system of laws failed kate. This is more than an academic state departments decision about prosecution, political pandering to voting or supremacy clause or common dearing cause. This is life and death. The are criminals motivated by malice and a conscious disregard for the lives of others and there are cities more interested in providing a sanctuary for criminals than lawabiding sit sit citizens. I have listened to the debate over immigration. You dont hear witnesses on the other side talking about background checks or enforcement mechanisms. But you hear phrases repeated with catatonic frequency as if repetition makes it true somehow. You hear functional control over the border by witnesses who are uniquely well positioned to know better. Citizenship for 11 million undocumented aspiring americans as if 11 million of any category could pass a background check. You hear arguments against empowering the assistance of federal authorities. We trust state and local Law Enforcement to investigate all crimes from murder sexual assault, narcotic trafficking, but god for bid they help us enforce Immigration Laws. State and local Law Enforcement are good enough to provide protection for members of congress in this city and back at home. But all of that changes when it comes to the issue of immigration they are no longer smart enough to enforce federal Immigration Law. Even though some dont trust state and local Law Enforcement to enforce federal law they are more than happy to allow state and local officials to openly ignore federal Immigration Laws. It sounds like a place of safety and refuge but for whom . Safety for whom . For a young woman walking on a pier with her father . Or for a career criminal like juan lopezsanchez who committed local, state and federal crimes in five states and deported five times and had so little regard for the law that he reentered the border we are supposed to have functional control over. This procedural history is disturbing. In may of 2011 the defendant was convicted and sentenced to 46 months in prison for illegal reentry. At the conclusion he was released to a known sanctuary cities. They dismissed the case and released the defendant and didnt not return him to the bureau of prisons or federal probation. They didnt honor the detainer placed on him by i. C. E. They released someone they knew was not legally in this country. We are give a litany of policies like this. We are told we need policies like the one in San Francisco so people will cooperate with Law Enforcement. I want you to consider how illogical that is. Releasing known criminals back into the society to help us catch known criminals . Of course some of our friends on the other side say all of this is necessary so folks, to use the president s word come forward or get on the books or get right with the law. He was in jail and there because he had nod complied with a single damn thing we asked him to do. Do we wait on another victim . Is that the strategy behind sanctuary cities . Release them and wait until they victimize someone else . Is that what we mean by coming forward . The president and others talk about comprehensive Immigration Reform but they are loit light on enforcement and background check. They fail to understand that Border Security both borders by the way, are fundamental conditions precedent to fixing our broken immigration system. Mr. Steinle, about a year ago there was a precious little girl waiting on the steps at the capital for me after votes. And i knew what was coming. I could not walk past her. I knew she would replace the phrases advocates teach children to repeat to members of congress. But i had to stop as any father of a daughter would. I stopped and the little girl said i want to pray for you. So i picked her up and a mixture of spanish and english she told god she was not here legally but wanted to stay. Everyone was trying to help the little girl but everyone should want to help your little girl, mr. Steinle. She wasnt five. But she is still your daughter. And this country wasnt there for her. I hope we will find out why they let him out for pedaling a gun charge that wound up being dismissed. I hope San Francisco will pel tell you why they released a convicted felon rather than honor the detainer or return him to i. C. E. You deserve to know the answers and know your daughters life had meaning and purpose. When Treyvon Martin was shot the president said that could have been his son. For those of us that have daughters, which includes the president , your daughter could have been our daughter. I used to have a saying from a Victim Advocate and i will paraphrase it but this is close. He was asked what city was the best one to live in and he answered that city where those are not injured by crimes. Take up the calls of those who are as if it had been them. That is the kind of country we should want too. One where dont have to lose our daughters to feel the pain we feel. We should not have to lose daughters to know that know one else should have to feel like you feel this morning. I would like to recognize the Ranking Member. I would like to welcome all of the witnesses to the hearing today but i especially want to welcome you. Any time a person is lost to violence it is important we all stop and consider what steps could we take what policyaul dorseys and eliseacy what policies and laws could be changed so that tragedy doesnt occur again. A hearing like this offers members in the public and an opportunity to learn more about the issue. And i hope we can Work Together collaboratively to address some of the problems we were here to solve. I am eager to hear what each witness has to say. I must note that last night, chairman goodlatte and i testified before the rules committee on hr3009, a bill that has been decided is the answer apparently to this. And i would note that if 3009 had been enacted into the law it would not have any impact on the circumstances that resulted in the death of your daughter. In addition major Law Enforcement organizations like the internal order of police the Major County Sheriffs Association is telling us that bill would make us less back safe and they all oppose that bill. I have not heard a person suggest it was wise appropriate, or even legal with the sheriff in San Francisco to have released the individual who is charged with killing your daughter. Having said that there are Police Agencies around the United States who believe that it makes our communities less safe to inquire as the immigration status in every case. For example the Domestic Violence organizations have contacted us to say that if there is a call for Domestic Violence situation, and the individual who are calling know they and everyone in their household will be interrogated as to their status a family with mixed status will not call for Domestic Violence. So we have to be mindful of those issues and the entirety of the situation we face. I would ask unanimous consent to put into the record a bip bipartisan letter that was sent to appropators signed by 152 members of Congress Talking about the burden of the grant policing in this country noting it is those very grants that would be removed by the legislation that is before the Congress Later today. I would also ask unanimous consent to enter letters of opposition to hr3009 boy the major county sheriffs organization, the paternal order of Police League of cities and u. S. Conference of mayors. Without objection. With that, i would say i will listen to great interest to all of our witnesses but especially to mr. Steinle and hope i as a chance to meet you after the hearing and your family. We sent a letter to explore how it could have been a person who should have been deported was sent out for a warrant 20 years old. This individual was deported in 1994, 1997, 1998 in 2003 and in none of those instances did this ancient warrant prevent him from being deported. He was convicted repeatedly of felony reentry after removal and served 16 years in federal prison for that crime. I want to give credit the to Border Patrol was they caught him every time he tried to come back. We need to examine this and know none of it can bring your beautiful daughter back but hopefully we will be able to improve the sichation as a tribute to your loss. With that i will yield back. I will recognize the gentlemen from california, mr. Goodlatte. Thank you for the work you have dedicated to this issue for the last two years. I want to thank all of our witnesses here today. I think you have compelling testimony but i want to thank mr. Steinle who i just had the opportunity to meet. I told them that the fact he would come here three weeks after the tragic death of his daughter to me shows courage and determination to make sure other lives are saved as a result of this. So you have my deepest sympathy and my deepest appreciation and admiration for coming here today. I told mr. Steinle my son lives in San Francisco. I have been on that very pier with my son and daughter. And we want to make sure everybody is safe. We held a hearing with secretary johnson as the sole witnesses and many people focused on detainers and criminal aliens. Today we will hear perspective on policies that are different than what secretary johnson had to offer and i look forward to that testimony. I am honored to have the family of kate stein here and mr. Steinle here. And of course we their perspective on the issue is one we wish we never had to give and the same is true for people we have heard along the years. Like the woman whose son was murdered by a criminal gang member who was released in los angeles pursuant to los angeles sanctuary cities. And people like dominiques family who was killed by an illegal immigrant in a drunk and driving accident who had two prior convictions. These tragedies were preventable. This Administration Must reverse its wholesale of immigration shutdown. The result is millions of unlawful aliens are not considered high enough priority for deportation. They are left in american communities. In the last year the number of administrative arrest of criminal aliens has fallen by a third. The department continues to release thousands of aliens on to the street. I. C. E released 5, 338 aliens with criminal convictions in 2014. In 2014, i. C. E released already 1,423 have been convicted of new crimes like vehicle homicide Domestic Violence sexual assault, dui, burglary and assault. And many more have been arrest and charged with crimes. Secretary johnsons solution, the Priority Enforcement Program, is a failure. Even secretary john