Schools Not Shelters Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. OGLES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of my amendment to define the phrase ``short term'' for the purposes of the Schools Not Shelters Act as being a period of up to 72 hours.

The phrase ``short term'' has varying definitions for different purposes in law and in different States. In many cases, the law considers housing for as long as a year as short term.

The underlying bill prohibits housing illegal aliens in taxpayer- funded schools with an understandable exception for emergencies. If people are seeking shelter from a storm, we don't want to lock them out to face the elements, regardless of their citizenship or immigration status.

My amendment protects the intent of this bill by ensuring that Governors can't abuse this emergency exception by opportunistically using an emergency or declaring an emergency that doesn't really exist so that they can house illegals in schools for months on end.

My amendment still allows State and local authorities the flexibility to offer schools as shelter in moments of true crisis, but requires that they limit that to a few days to make sure it is a momentary stop- gap solution rather than a long-term reality.

Under the so-called leadership of President Biden, Vice President Harris, and Secretary Mayorkas, our southern border is open. Every State has become a border State as criminal cartels traffic aliens into our country by the thousands.

Some sanctuary States have chosen to address this problem by housing these illegal aliens in our schools. Using our schools, our public schools, to house illegal aliens redirects resources the American people set aside for our children to foreign nationals who disrespect our laws.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. OGLES. Mr. Speaker, let's be clear: Schools are meant for the purpose of educating our children. Housing those in violation of law, illegals, can put our children at risk and turns places of education potentially into dormitories for lawless individuals. We have Governors who have used and abused their authorities to circumvent Federal law, immigration law, all we are asking is that if it is going to be done, it is for a defined period of time.

I have to admit as I have listened to debate, the violins were playing, widows were weeping, and my colleagues were pandering. We have people that are here violating the law. Keep that in mind. Our border is flooded with illegals. There is a pattern of illegals committing crime in our country. There is a pattern of gang members crossing our border, and there is a pattern of this reckless administration for ignoring the law.

Mr. Speaker, I urge adoption and support for my amendment.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source