-9999
Floor Speech
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. BUDD. Mr. President, there have been more than 9 million illegal alien border crossings on President Biden's watch. At the same time, there has been a 57-percent decrease in arrests of criminal illegal aliens and a 67-percent decrease in deportation of criminal aliens.
This complete lack of enforcement of existing law has caused unimaginable human suffering across our country. One such tragedy occurred last month in Athens, GA. An illegal alien from Venezuela brutally murdered 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley on the campus of the University of Georgia. What makes this story all the more devastating was that the killer could have been stopped but wasn't.
So how on Earth was this tragedy even allowed to take place? Well, here is the timeline. The killer illegally entered the United States in September of 2022 in El Paso, TX. He was caught, but then he was paroled into the country. He then made his way to New York City, where he was arrested for child endangerment in 2023, but then he was released. He then fled to Georgia, where he committed several petty crimes like theft and shoplifting. He was not detained by ICE. Then came the tragedy of February 22, where he preyed on an innocent young woman jogging around a university campus.
This was allowed to take place because of the open border policies of President Biden. It took place because executive Agencies are given discretion to determine what crimes trigger a detainer to be issued to take an illegal alien into custody. The ``discretion loophole'' has got to be closed. And that is why we are here today: to make sure these tragedies never happen again.
In Laken's honor, Senator Katie Britt of Alabama and I have teamed up to introduce the Laken Riley Act. This bill would require ICE to issue detainers and take into custody illegal aliens who commit crimes like theft and shoplifting. The legislation also empowers state attorneys general to sue the Secretary of Homeland Security for taking actions on immigration that harm their States or their citizens.
The bottom line: If this bill were in place before February 22, Laken Riley would be alive today.
The House of Representatives passed this bill last week in a bipartisan--again, a bipartisan--vote of 251 to 70, including 37 Democrats. In a time of division and polarization, the Laken Riley Act brought both sides together.
It is our hope that we can learn from this horrific situation and make some positive change. So let's pass the Laken Riley Act today.
Mr. President, I would like to yield to my colleague from Indiana.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. BUDD. Mr. President, I would like to further yield to my colleague from Kansas.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. BUDD. 341, H.R. 7511; that the bill be considered read a third time and passed; and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Mr. BUDD. Mr. President, I am deeply disappointed in my Democratic colleagues for objecting to a bill that, had it been in place, Laken Riley's life would have been spared. The Democratic Party's commitment to open borders is causing otherwise preventable tragedies to occur again and again and again.
But while we are here, let me address some of the counterarguments that we have heard.
One contention is that this bill would apply to individuals merely accused of a crime, robbing them of due process. Well, the fact that illegal aliens are freely roaming around the country in and of itself is illegal. If they then commit another crime, authorities are well within their rights to detain them.
The law that this bill would strengthen already requires detention for those who have been involved in various acts, such as drug trafficking, prostitution, and other vices, regardless of whether or not they have been convicted.
Opponents of this bill don't just have a problem with this bill; they have a problem with well-established laws on the books.
Another argument that I have heard is that this bill would violate the Constitution's standing requirements to file lawsuits.
The Supreme Court in the United States v. Texas provided a clear roadmap for Congress to authorize lawsuits against the executive branch for failing to enforce the law. The bill follows that roadmap and upholds the Constitution's separation of powers.
The bill authorizes a state attorney general or other authorized officer to bring a lawsuit against executive branch officials for failure to enforce immigration laws in a manner that harms such State or its residents. The bill authorizes a Federal court to grant appropriate injunctive relief. This bill does not prejudge the result of any case or tie a judge's hands. The bill simply ensures that States are given their day in court to protect their citizens against the harmful, lawless, open border policies of the Biden administration.
I simply don't believe that another American family needs to experience a tragedy like the one that befell the Riley family. I am going to continue to work with my colleague from Alabama, Senator Britt, and all my colleagues to push this legislation until it passes this Chamber.
BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT
Source