Transcripts For CSPAN3 Lawmakers Spar Over Immigration Polic

The committee will be in order. Well welcome everyone to todays hearing of our nations Immigration Laws. The chair recognizes himself for an Opening Statement. It is fitting that todays hearing is calling a restore of the Immigration Laws. The past eight years of president obama delivering under our Immigration Laws. Every level of government and the federal and state and local Law Enforcement officers who attempt to enforce our Immigration Laws. Our Immigration Laws are an expression of or natiur nation sovereignty. For the past eight years, they were north. The Obama Administration abandoned the rule of law of discretion has devastating consequences through the coldblooded murder of kate steinle, the death by dwi and sar sarah rhule and of San Bernardino and exceptional assault against the rock field teenager. The Obama Administrations policies released the sky high credible fear and grant encourages to make the dangerous ill elicit journey to the United States. Aliens over ran our border and of fear. Ice removal from the interior drop to 238,000 in 2009, only 65,002,016. The Trump Administration inherited a shell of immigration that must now rebuild. I am pleased that well hear today from witnesses who can fully explain the benefits of local cooperation and of the detriment effect of the sanctions. The communities have decided to make a political statement out of lawlessness. The government must discouraged not encourage sanctuary policy and practices. Under departmental guidance, it was permitted to apprehend to seek to remove. Additional guidance ending the successful Security Community further constricted these parameters. This was solely of t going afy worse of the worse. The number of aliens removed from the interior fell almost from 87,000 in fiscal 2014 to approximately 63,500 following two fiscal years. Under president obama was widely understood of a sylem officer F Administration policies work to encourage many aliens to seek a xylem. The new administration are taking steps to correct this. I look forward to hearing from our witnesses on the best addresses to address this xylem. Thank you, mr. Chairman. The title of todays republican our Immigration Laws went unenforced and nothing can be further from the truth. The past administration deported more immigrants than any other Previous Administration. The president , president obama earned the infamous nick name deporter in chief. This massive deportation. These alternative facts were used time and again to avoid solving the real problems of our immigration system. Today, republicans control all level of the federal governments. Among other things, of the president s threaten to shame and federal funds that resisted in the administration. The constitution of the 10th amendment protects state rights in a prohibit federal reactions. When it comes to immigration, these principles somehow seems to be over looked. Recently i was at a meeting where the mayor of san jose says, you know, we dont send out the San Jose Police department to enforce security and exchange laws, the federal tax laws and the maritime laws or the Immigration Laws. Thats the job of the federal government. Theyre well known constitutional limits on the ability of the federal government to withhold funds to the state. State and local officials know their community and know how to keep them safe better than the federal government. The constitutions long standing principle is apparently either ignored or seen as an impediment by some people. In the recent executive order on interior enforcement. President trump abolished the Prior Administration of enforcement priorities to go after all 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States just as candidate trump promised he would do. While this enforcement agenda may satisfy the most extreme elements in our country, it is not smart. It does not make our country safer and stronger. It has created a culture of fear. There is videos of parents taken from u. S. Citizen children by armed ice officers. There are stories of mothers who have lived in this country for decades being reported after dually checking into ice appointments. The fear caused by these acts is persuasive and paralyzing communities across our country. Now some mercedes misexampl s examples we should dismiss the devastating economic consequences policy. It is time to start thinking of ways to fix our broken information system. I stand ready to work with my colleagues across the isle to reform our Immigration Laws from top to bottom. With that, mr. Chairman, i will yield back. That would be the National Immigration Justice Center, the chief of police of marshal town iowa, the retired chief of garden city kansas. The Fair Immigration Reform Movement and the sexual and Domestic Violence. The massachusetts immigrated refugees. The president executive orde orders the gentleman from virginia is in the senate. I wish him well of whatever hes talking about there. We always wish our mere house members will have to ask the voters every two year to send this back with the senators. I would recognize the Ranking Member mr. Connors from michigan for his Opening Statement for five minutes. Mr. Chairman, it was a unanimous consent request. Consent request will be granted. Thank you. Thank you mr. Chairman. Congratulations again on your extension to the chairmanship of this morimportant committee. Members of the committee, i want you all to know that we welcome all of our witnesses and look forward to their testimony and i just would like to remind you and i dont quote formal president reagan. He once said our nation is a nation of immigrants more than any other countries. Our strengths come from our own immigrant heritage and our xm capacity to welcome those from other lands. That quote was uncontroversial among many i republican friends and colleagues. Affirmation of the moral and social work of immigrant is not a partisan position. It is simply american as we began todays hearing. I urge my colleagues to us this forum to examine sensible, effective measures rooted in fact in practice. Enforcing our laws and keeping our communities safe. One fact we must consider is that studies have repeatedly shown that immigrants in the United States are less likely to engage in crime. The vast majority of immigrants in the United States are peaceful lawabiding individuals who support their families and communities. Another fact is that the southern border is more secured than ever. Apprehension rates at the serve borders have plummeted in the 1980s. Apprehensions of mexicans specifically reached their lowest point in nearly half a century. This helps explain why most americans dont want the trump border wall which would cause upwards staggering 20 billion a bill and 750 million annually to maintain this estimate. With these facts and others, the Current Administration continues attack the communities that have decided not to script their Law Enforcement into a mass Deportation Force. In fact, yesterday, attorney general sessions threatened to withhold federal funds from jurisdictions. Let me be clear, attorney sessions should not substitute his who knows what is best to keep their communities safe. Attorney general reports to place as high priority on fighting crimes but threatens to withhold much needed Justice Department funding from the have agencies that are on the front line in protecting all of us. Over 600 counties and cities made the decision to resist the Administration Efforts to conscript their local officials to a mass Deportation Force because of experience and data shows that local enforcement of federal and Immigration Law often makes communities less safe. Discrimination and distress. Immigrant victims and witnesses stop reporting crimes to authorities and criminals grow embolden. These cities are actually safer and prosperous than its counter part. We already witnessed donald trump and his administration followed through on decisive, Campaign Rhetoric actions that threatened our core American Values and do nothing to make us safer. To cite a few examples in less than 90 days. This administration has already threatened and unconstitutional use of federal Spending Authority to strong arm, local inju jurisdiction enforcing federal law. Under mind the Fourth Amendment by pressuring cities into detaining immigrants without probable cause and finally add, conducting in discriminate on immigrant families in their homes or places of work and their schools. Such immigrant measures, not only raise serious constitutional concerns but theyre contrary to our proud history of a nation of immigrants. I thank the chairman, welcome again, witnesses of testimonies today. And that, i yield back. Thank you, other members Opening Statements will be made part of the record. We have a distinguished panel today and i will begin to softwaswear in the witnesses before introducing them. If you would , all rise. Let the record that all the witnesses answered in the affirmative. I will begin by introducing the witnesses. Sheriff thomas m. Hodgson was an elected official and the chief Law Enforcement officer of bristle county massachusetts. Sheriff hodgson originally appointed in 1997 by governor william weld has subsequently been reelected to several six year terms under his watch the Sheriffs Office has established a warrant apprehension unit, a drug task force, gang unit and works regularly with federal partners including i. C. E. His department participates in the 287 g program that he along with other sheriffs has called for the Immigration Reform with the emphasized on Border Security and security enforcement. He previously testified before the massachusetts General Court regarding sanctuary policies. Miss Jessica Vaughan serves as the director of policy studies with the center for immigration studies. In that role she studies numerous facets of immigration policy, including immigration Law Enforcement. Prior to this role she served as a Foreign Service officer with the state department and has testified before this committee on numerous immigration related matters including at a similar hearing in 2015. Ms. Shawen has a masters degree from jorjt university and earned her bachelors degree in International Studies at Washington College at maryland. Mr. Andrew arthur is the former staff director for the government reform and oversight committee. National security subcommittee. Prior to serving as staff director he was an immigration judge for the United States department of justice, executive office for immigration review of new york, pennsylvania immigration court. He is also a fellow colleague of the House Judiciary Committee subcommittee on immigration where he served as a counsel for five years. Advicing the chairman, me, on matters relating to the enforcement of Immigration Laws and immigration policy. He has received his b. A. From the university of virginia and his law degree from the George Washington University School of law. Ms. Archi pety serves as the chief of policy and pragmatics it to it tureaa Justice Center she spear heads National Program initiatives overseeing direct services to immigrant women and forging and mobilizing diverse bipartisan coalishitions to press your laws regulations and policies to better protect from vienlts. Before joernl tarea miss pyati was the director of the grimgts project of the sanctuary for famililess in new york. She is a graduate of Brown University and received her law degree from the university of michigan law school. Without objection each of the witnesses written statements will be entered into the record in their entirety. I ask that each witness summarize his or her testimony in five minutes or less and to help you stay with that time limit there are lights in front of you and you all know what they mean. So sheriff hodgson, why dont you lead off. Bres are press the button on the mic. Thank you mr. Chafrm chairman in my members of the zurt, security guards and metal detecters scansers greet the me as i walked in in morning these measures are in place to protect the safety of everyone inside. Most people are cleared pretty quickly and go about business. Its the others who we who intend to do us harm those who are no respect more laws we have to worry about. Its those the Capitol Police must deny entry. We owe the same level of protection and safes to legal residents we must all the tools in our tell books shaver share intelligence and truly restore enforcement of Immigration Laws for the safety and security of our citizens. Public safety is my number one priority. Public safety is your number one priority. Public safety is any governments any government officials number one priority. Public safety is what brings me here today. There is arguably no bigger threat to Public Safety than illegal grimgts. Mr. Chairman and members of this committee i want to thank you for inviting me to testify this morning on what is perhaps the most dangerous threat to National Security and the safety of all americans. Good thoughtful Immigration Law exists as enactedly leathers like you decades ago. However is if a law is not its useless verbiage protecting no one and accomplishing nothing. As a sheriff for 20 years and a Police Officer six more ive spent my career enforcing laws. I have a sworn duty to uphold the constitution of the United States and enforce all laws whether i agree or disagree. Just as you took the oath of office to faithfully and zmarj the office which you entered. The law is what you and the courts say it is but unfortunately due to years of liberal policies tailored to nonenforcement cigarettes has to hold hearings how to enforce laws that have been on the books for decade. Most of my Law Enforcement colleagues will agree that Severe Damage has been done to National Security by lax days kal enforcement and the only thing we can do now is move forward and discuss how we can fix it. The fact is our nation would be better off and citizens would be safer if we never stopped enforcing grimes law and if we never formed or turned a blind eye toward sanctuary cities. Local counties state and federal Law Enforcement all working together to keep the public safe. Sharing resources and intelligence as much as possible. Working together as one team with the simple goal of keeping the public safe. Our Law Enforcement team has an opposing team that consists of local officials ob elected or appointed who have created and advocated sanctuary cities, states, communities and even colleges. These officials pledge not to work with, cooperate or even communicate with federal Immigration Enforcement. As a result, these safe zones have become mag nets for illegal aliens some have violent criminal record. At best sanctuary cities are a direct violation of trust between the legal residents and the elected officials who took an oath to protect them at all costs. At the worst, its careless where illegal and extremely dangerous. If these sanctuary cities are going to harbor and conceal criminal illegal aliens from i. C. E. Which is in direct vials of title 8 of the u. S. Code federal arrest warrants should be issued for officials. At a time when officials are plenling not towork with federal Law Enforcement ive doubled down with my kmilt to boost Public Safety by becoming the Second Organization in new england to enter into 287 gf if there is one thing our country learned from 9 11 its all branches of Law Enforcement have to