Bringing Kai Li Home
Floor Speech
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Mr. LaLOTA. Madam Speaker, we, the United States Government, must do everything in our power to bring my constituent, Kai Li, home from his unlawful imprisonment by the Chinese Communist Party.
Since 2016, Kai Li, of Huntington, New York, has been unjustly imprisoned by the Chinese Communist Party.
In 2016, Kai Li visited Shanghai to mark the first anniversary of his mother's death. When he arrived at the airport in Shanghai, Chinese Communist Party authorities immediately arrested him on what they called espionage charges.
For months, Kai was held in secret detention without access to legal counsel. Almost 2 years later, in July of 2018, in a one-hour secret trial, Kai was convicted of espionage.
This is yet another example of the Chinese Communist Party's long history of aggressively targeting and detaining individuals on trumped- up charges of spying.
Since coming into office 14 months ago, I have called on the administration to do everything in its power to bring Kai Li home to his family, including his son, Harrison.
Soon, I will be introducing legislation to urge this administration to prioritize bringing Kai Li home and end his unlawful detainment. We must right this wrong and fix a broken situation. police explorers program
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Mr. LaLOTA. Madam Speaker, the Suffolk County Police Department has an exciting program to increase interest among teenagers in pursuing a career in law enforcement. It is called the Police Explorers.
Participants in the program must show an interest in a law enforcement career, meet minimum academic standards, and have no criminal convictions or history.
The Police Explorers program is a learning-for-life program, which provides participants with police training and community service experience.
I had the chance to meet with Sergeant Linda Piotrowski of the Suffolk County Police Department in my Hauppauge office, and she briefed me on this program.
We had a great discussion about public safety and how to increase awareness among young people interested in a career in law enforcement.
As the son and grandson of police officers, I am thrilled to see efforts to increase law enforcement recruitment numbers and to help those interested in a career in law enforcement. Together, we must continue to support and back the blue at every opportunity. combating the rise in anti-semitism
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Mr. LaLOTA. Madam Speaker, I rise today to condemn the disturbing rise in anti-Semitism in this country and around the world, especially in the months following the October 7 terrorist attacks committed by Hamas against the people of Israel.
Since October 7, America has seen a demonstrable rise in anti- Semitism on college campuses where students have been harassed and even insulted simply for being Jewish.
Despite their years of elitist rhetoric, talk of safe spaces, and feigning how they welcome all cultures, duplicitous liberal college presidents have refused to take action to protect these students.
In America, every student should be free to live and learn without fear of harassment or physical violence. America's colleges must do better.
Here in Washington, I am proud to cosponsor several pieces of legislation to support Israel, hold Hamas and Iran accountable, and condemn anti-Semitism, including H.R. 6090, the Anti-Semitism Awareness Act, which would require the Department of Education to clearly define anti-Semitism and ensure anti-Semitic hate crimes on college campuses are properly investigated and prosecuted.
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