Chairman Sessions Introduces Immigration Enforcement Bill in Honor of Officers Slain by Illegal Aliens

Statement

U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest, announced today that he was introducing legislation in response to the planned and sustained dismantlement of immigration enforcement in America. The legislation would end the mass release of criminal aliens, return law and order to devastated communities, and ensure the consistent and uniform application of federal law. The proposal, which builds on legislation introduced by House Immigration and Border Security Subcommittee Chairman Trey Gowdy, is named after Detective Michael Davis and Deputy Danny Oliver, two local law enforcement officers who were murdered by an illegal alien with an extensive criminal history:

"I applaud Chairman Gowdy and Chairman Goodlatte for their dedicated work in carefully crafting this crucial measure. The introduction of this companion bill in the Senate is another important step towards protecting the lives and livelihoods of American citizens. The legislation is named for Sacramento County Sheriff's Deputy Danny Oliver and Placer County Detective Michael Davis, who were gunned down in the line of duty by a twice-deported illegal alien. Had our nation's immigration laws been enforced, both of these slain heroes would be with their families today.

In America, tens of thousands of preventable crimes occur each year, including the most violent and heinous, because of our failure to enforce our immigration laws. Too many people are living in fear of violent gangs and drug cartels as a result.

Every single day, law officers at the state, local, and federal level are forced to release criminal aliens who pose a threat to community safety--in violation of current laws that require deportation. Additionally, in the last two years, ICE released back onto the streets 76,000 convicted criminal aliens. There are 169,000 criminal aliens at large in the United States right now who have criminal convictions and were formally and lawfully ordered deported. The Administration's tolerance of sanctuary cities has also resulted in another 10,000 potentially deportable arrested aliens being released by local law agencies since January of last year. And, 121 of the criminal aliens who've been ordered deported in the last few years and were released by ICE have now been charged with additional homicide offenses.

This legislation will ensure cooperation between state, local, and federal officials, each with their own valuable role. It will crack down on sanctuary cities. It will empower our Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers to actually enforce our immigration laws--protecting the jobs, wages, and well-being of the American people. It will make sure that our immigration policies are carried out--not ignored.

Congress spends too much time catering to special interests, and not enough time serving the people who sent us here. Advancing this bill would be a dramatic step towards reestablishing the severed trust between the people and their government."

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