Reaffirms the authority of state and local law enforcement to enforce immigration laws --
From Manzullo's Website:
Congressman Don Manzullo (R-Egan) today voted for three pieces of legislation that will help protect Americans by increasing security at U.S. borders and cracking down on illegal immigration in our country.
“Our porous borders have given foreign criminals and terrorists easy opportunities to enter the United States illegally and wreak havoc on Americans. Enough is enough,” Manzullo said. “These three bills will give our government the tools necessary to secure our borders and protect the American people from these evildoers.”
The three bills, which all passed the House this afternoon, are:
The Immigration Law Enforcement Act of 2006 (HR 6095)
Reaffirms the authority of state and local law enforcement to enforce immigration laws -- This bill reaffirms the inherent authority of state and local law enforcement to voluntarily investigate, identify, apprehend, arrest, detain, and transfer to federal custody illegal immigrants. Many state and local law enforcement officers want to assist in the enforcement of immigration laws, and they can play a valuable role in assisting federal law immigration officers.
Increases prosecutions of alien smugglers – U.S. Attorneys do not have uniform guidelines for the prosecution of alien smuggling offenses, and many of these offices face a tremendous workload and are unable to prosecute a sufficient number of alien smuggling cases. As a result, many smugglers go free. This legislation authorizes an increase in the number of attorneys to prosecute alien smuggling cases, and expresses Congress’ sense that the Attorney General should establish uniform guidelines for the prosecution of alien smugglers.
Imposes “Catch & Return” instead of “Catch & Release” -- This legislation helps close loopholes that have hurt the DHS’s ability to enforce immigration laws. For example, an injunction dating from the El Salvadoran civil war of the 1980s prevents DHS from placing Salvadorans in expedited removal proceedings, even though the civil war has long since ended. DHS uses expedited removal proceedings to quickly remove illegal immigrants who are apprehended along the Southern border, in order to end the policy of “catch and release,” where illegal immigrants have been released into the general population while they await deportation proceedings. Many criminal gangs have exploited these loopholes, which this bill would help close.
Posted on 6/8/2008 8:11:36 PM by TMassApproved 6/12/2008 6:44 PM