Press Releases - Smith: Immigration Enforcement Bills Protect Americans

Smith: Immigration Enforcement Bills Protect Americans

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Lamar Smith (TX-21) today voted in favor of two bills designed to uphold America's immigration laws and protect communities from dangerous criminals.

"We have a responsibility to make sure the laws of this land protect Americans," said Smith. "The legislation approved today ensures that both local and federal law enforcement officials have the authority they need to arrest and detain illegal immigrants."

Under current law, illegal immigrants convicted of serious crimes often cannot be deported. One example is when their home country refuses to take them back. In that case, the Supreme Court has ruled that these convicted criminals cannot be detained indefinitely and must be released.

The "Community Protection Act of 2006" (H.R. 6094) fixes this legal loophole by allowing the federal government to detain illegal immigrants convicted of serious crimes for six month periods beyond their original imprisonment.

The second bill, the "Immigration Law Enforcement Act of 2006," (H.R. 6095) reaffirms the authority of state and local law enforcement officials to voluntarily investigate and hold illegal immigrants. For instance, a police officer might stop an individual and find out that the individual is in the United States illegally. It's contrary to common sense that the police officer would not be able to arrest that person. This bill would allow local law enforcement officials to cooperate with Border Patrol.

Smith commented, "Local police officers had stopped four of the 9/11 terrorists for speeding. Had those officers checked their immigration status, we might have prevented the 9/11 attacks."

"The bills passed today keep dangerous people off our streets," concluded Smith.

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