Protect Our Law Enforcement with Immigration Control and Enforcement Act of 2023

Floor Speech

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Mr. GARBARINO. Mr. Chair, I stand here today during National Police Week to urge the passage of H.R. 2494, the POLICE Act of 2023.

The crisis at our southern border is a clear public safety and national security threat, but it also puts the lives and safety of our law enforcement officers at risk. It is not just Customs and Border Patrol agents who are affected, like the female Border Patrol agent who was violently attacked by an illegal immigrant while attempting to make an arrest in March. Local police departments have also been placed on the front lines as thousands of migrants are relocated to New York and States across the country.

As the border crisis rages on unchecked and violence against law enforcement officers continues to rise, this legislation sends a crystal-clear message that any noncitizen who commits acts of violence against police cannot stay in this country.

The POLICE Act codifies something that is common sense, but under current law remains ambiguous. This bill corrects that by providing clear guidelines for the removal of any migrant who engages in violence against a law enforcement officer. This is about improving officer safety and making it easier to remove migrants who have demonstrated flagrant criminal violence while on U.S. soil.

I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote in favor of the POLICE Act to show our brave men and women in law enforcement that we have their backs as they continue to battle the criminal element currently taking advantage of our unsecured southern border.

Now, to address my colleague's concern from the other side of the aisle. This is not mandatory. This bill does not mandate immediate deportation. His admitted far-fetched, absurd examples that we just heard will be taken into account. This just says that an assault on a police officer or a firefighter or an EMT makes it a deportable offense.

Mr. Chairman, I have to go on further. We heard about this possible amendment coming forward about requiring conviction. If our district attorneys in their roles would actually prosecute crimes against police officers, I would be fine requiring conviction, but what we have seen over the past several years where you have progressive, woke district attorneys like our district attorney in Manhattan, when an NYPD police officer is assaulted or firefighter is assaulted, the criminal, the assailant, is not actually prosecuted.

We can't be left to require convictions on something like this when the district attorneys in certain areas are not doing their job.

With that said, I understand the idea behind the amendment, but requiring a conviction here would tie a lot of people's hands, especially when district attorneys are not doing their jobs and assaults against law enforcement are not getting prosecuted.

Mr. Chair, I urge my colleagues, again, on both sides of the aisle to vote in favor of this piece of legislation and show that you support members of law enforcement.

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