Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act, 2013

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. KING of Iowa. Mr. Chairman, my amendment addresses Executive Order 13166. That was an executive order that was issued in August of 2000 that directed our Federal agencies to provide foreign-language services to anyone who might seek to engage with the American Government. When I say the American Government, I do mean, Mr. Chairman, not just the Federal Government, but also local government.

The order directs Federal fund recipients--meaning local government--to pay for the enormous cost of providing translation and interpreter services from their own funds. There is no Federal reimbursement for this executive order. Many of us support English as the official language. We understand that there are billions that are spent in an effort to facilitate access to government to people who do not have the language skills, but also understand it is impossible to meet all of those demands.

As we watch the proliferation in this government, I would look at what recently Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano released, a memorandum detailing a DHS language access plan, which expands Executive Order 13166.

In summary, Mr. Chairman, this amendment simply says that no funds available under this act may be utilized to enforce Executive Order 13166.

With that, I yield to the chairman of the subcommittee from Alabama.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. KING of Iowa. Mr. Chairman, just quickly in closing, I would point out that we got along fine without this executive order up until the year 2000, and we'll get along fine without this executive order after the year 2012.

The assimilation component of this doesn't take place if you facilitate foreign-language speaking within government. Eighty-seven percent of Americans support this policy, the policy of English as the official language. This is a component of it. There's nothing that prevents justice, health, or emergency services from utilizing multiple languages to take care of the people.

So I urge its adoption, and I yield back the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. KING of Iowa. Mr. Chairman, this amendment, this second King amendment, addresses the Morton memos, and he would be the director of ICE, and he is quite well known for the memos that unfolded that are known as the Morton memos. There are three of them. These memos, compiled together, bring about the effect of administrative amnesty. We'll remember that the President issued a policy sometime probably less than a year ago when he essentially announced that they were going to look for ways that they didn't have to deport people that are already adjudicated for deportation.

At the time there were 300,000 people here in the United States here illegally who had been adjudicated for deportation. They were awaiting a final deportation order.

The President's policy, as echoed through Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, and acted on by ICE Director Morton, issued three memos that gave administrative amnesty this way.

Memo number one was the most significant, and it said this: that aliens who pose a danger to national security or are a risk to public safety, they might be deported. Illegal aliens who have recently entered the U.S., they might be deported if you catch them at the border, so to speak, Mr. Chairman. The third component of that memo number one was aliens who are fugitives or otherwise obstruct immigration controls might be deported. It really means the rest of them we're not going to pay much attention to. That's the administrative amnesty component.

Memo number two discouraged ICE agents from enforcing immigration laws against aliens, many who would qualify if the DREAM Act had been enacted--which is a pretty outrageous policy when you consider that it has multiple times been voted down in Congress.

Number three discouraged ICE agents from enforcing immigration laws against aliens who were victims or witnesses of crimes.

Those are the Morton memos. This amendment prohibits the dollars from being used in this budget to enforce the Morton memos.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. KING of Iowa. Reclaiming my time, Mr. Chairman, I would point out that the Morton memos, in effect, provide administrative amnesty potentially for millions.

I reserve the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. KING of Iowa. Mr. Chairman, I would just make the point that I listened to a lot of discussion about something that we well know around here is prosecutorial discretion. We don't have the resources to prosecute every law breaker and we know that law enforcement has to use that discretion on those resources.

This, though, is the President's policy. This is the President's policy of administrative amnesty that's implemented through the White House, through Janet Napolitano down through Director Morton and his Morton memos, which are amnesty.

They said, we don't want to enforce the law. We want to have comprehensive immigration reform, which we know are code words for amnesty, and they are bringing it about through an executive administrative amnesty in the same way as they are trying to implement cap and trade rules through EPA rules and regulations.

I would add also they have a responsibility to enforce the law. It says in article II of the Constitution:

He shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed.

This Constitution doesn't give an exemption. It doesn't say you're going to enforce the ones you like and not the ones you don't like. We have to adopt this amendment so that we do direct the law.

I would urge its adoption, and I yield back the balance of my time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source