Newsletter: Dave's Weekly Wrap

Statement

I want to address the tragic killing and shooting in Concord Township committed by Juan E. Razo, an illegal immigrant living in the United States.

This is a tragedy that could have, and should have, been prevented.

I certainly do not want to make a tragic event, in which an innocent family lost a loved one, into a political statement. However, that is hard to avoid.

This tragedy could have been avoided if the administration would have just enforced our immigration laws. The administration made a concerted decision to instruct our men and women who work apprehending illegal immigrants to only pursue those who have criminal history.

That certainly begs the question of why should we wait for people to commit crimes before they become a priority for removal. The fact of the matter is they have already violated our rules and laws by entering the U.S. illegally. I believe this policy of priority removal is plain wrong.

As a former prosecutor, I simply believe we need to enforce our immigration laws that are on the books and give the men and women at the Department of Homeland Security the resources to apprehend those who have violated our immigration laws.

It really is that simple.

I have opposed illegal immigration and providing amnesty to those here illegally since I was sworn into office. I have co-sponsored and supported multiple bills that oppose President Obama's Executive Amnesty.

People have been asking if there is any action happening on in Congress to address this. There certainly is and below are a few examples of legislation I have been pushing to help get this problem under control.

I recently cosponsored H.R. 3009, the Enforce the Law for Sanctuary Cities Act, which passed the House on July 23, 2015, by a vote of 241-179 and has moved on to the Senate for further review. H.R. 3009 bars state and local governments from receiving federal funds under the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program if such entities have in effect laws, policies, or procedures that inhibit the enforcement of immigration laws or that prohibit state or local law enforcement officials from gathering information regarding the citizenship or immigration status of any individual. The bill also requires the Attorney General to withhold Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) and Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) funding that a state or local government otherwise would have been awarded for the following fiscal year if such entity impedes immigration enforcement in a manner prohibited by the bill.

I'm also a cosponsor of H.R. 38, the Preventing Executive Overreach on Immigration Act of 2015, which would undercut the President's Executive Actions that currently are blocked by the courts, so as to directly prohibit an expansion of the DACA program.

Another bill I have cosponsored is H.R. 1148, the Davis-Oliver Act. This legislation precludes a city from ignoring U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers and releasing criminal aliens back on the street. This also immunizes state and local law enforcement officers from local or state retribution, or punishment, should they opt to honor detainers from ICE.

With all that being said, I am deeply saddened that these incidents occurred in our community and more deeply saddened for the victims and their families.

While this legislation cannot undo what has happened, if enacted, it will help prevent it from happening in the future.

It is an honor to serve you in Congress,

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