[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 103 (Tuesday, July 26, 2005)]
[House]
[Page H6554]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page H6554]]
                           SANCTUARY HIDEOUTS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Poe) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, in the early morning hours of May 14, 2005, two 
Denver police officers were working security at a restaurant when Raul 
Garcia Gomez cowardly shot them both in the back and fled into the 
darkness of the night. Detective Donald Young was killed. Detective 
John Bishop was also shot in the back, but he survived. Gomez snuck out 
of Denver and the United States and sought safety in his country of 
Mexico to prevent being prosecuted for first degree murder and 
attempted murder.
  Without dealing with the issue of Mexico's reluctance to extradite 
their citizens who have committed murder in the United States, Gomez 
had already been given a get-out-of-jail-free card in Denver because of 
absurd policies called ``sanctuary laws.'' In Denver, Gomez had been 
stopped previously three times by local police for traffic offenses. 
Each time he presented a Mexican driver's license. Each time he had no 
proof of insurance, and each time he was released even though he was 
here illegally.
  Had he been an American citizen, the fact that he had no insurance 
for the third time would have resulted in him being arrested and hauled 
off to jail. We seem to discriminate against American citizens for the 
benefit of illegal aliens. Anyway, the reason Gomez was released 
instead of deported: sanctuary laws.
  They are laws that stop police from arresting and detaining illegals 
that are here in the United States. Therefore, law enforcement 
officials cannot do anything to a person they discover is illegally 
here in the country other than let them loose back in society.
  In fact, some cities prohibit police from even inquiring into a 
person's legal status in the United States. So-called sanctuary laws 
prohibit officers from ``initiating police action where the objective 
is to discover the alien status of the person.''
  It would seem to me, and common sense would dictate, that police 
should know who is in the United States illegally. Have these cities 
not heard of the war on terror?
  This order was created in Los Angeles and has been adopted in the 
major cities in the United States. In these cities, if an illegal 
immigrant is caught for a minor violation, police cannot detain this 
individual for immigration violations despite the fact these people are 
committing a Federal offense by their presence in our country. This 
hands-off policy is absurd and these cities protect people who are 
illegally in the United States.
  Unfortunately, because of lack of enforcement of immigration laws, 
these sanctuaries and safe havens in the United States are growing. 
Some U.S. cities have actually implemented policies that provide and 
require these safe havens for illegal people.
  Mr. Speaker, in these selected hideouts, immigration laws are not 
enforced. These cities do not require and even some prohibit employers 
from reporting the illegal status to Federal officials. Creating these 
secret hideouts encourages illegal immigration, and Americans pay the 
price. Americans always pay.
  Officials in Houston, Texas, recently have implemented policies 
restricting coordination with local police and Federal authorities 
regarding immigration laws. And even recently the Governor of Maine has 
announced an executive order forbids the State from enforcing Federal 
immigration laws.
  Mr. Speaker, this is a serious problem and the cities that have 
adopted these sanctuary hideouts undermine the security of this Nation, 
encourage illegal immigration and promote lawlessness. All of this at 
the expense of Americans.
  However, some cities faced with the cost of free social services to 
illegals have a different approach. The latest is Police Chief Garrett 
Chamberlain of New Ipswich, New Hampshire. He is charging illegals with 
criminal trespassing and arresting them. After all, they are 
trespassing on American soil. Part of the problem is there are too few 
Immigration and Custom Enforcement agents within the interior of the 
United States. There are less than 2,000 people enforcing the 
immigration laws of people who are illegally in the United States and 
in the interior.
  Mr. Speaker, there are more than 800,000 law enforcement officials in 
the United States. They take a pledge to protect and serve every day, 
and they are tasked with the important job of keeping our communities 
safe from those outlaws who terrorize the streets. They watch out for 
our country, our kids, our families, and our great land. Novel idea, 
let these 800,000 officers help capture illegals that come across each 
day while they are on the police beat. They should be allies with the 
Federal Government and assist the Federal Government in efforts to 
protect our country from illegal immigrants that violate our law and 
disrespect the borders.
  Police help is essential to homeland security. Local law enforcement, 
those first responders are the ones that encounter illegal aliens once 
they have snuck into our country. These sanctuary hideouts are not the 
answer. There should be no sanctuary for those who violate the law.
  By the way, Detective Donald Young when he was murdered was shot 
three times in the back and in the head. He was married with two young 
daughters. He was 44 years of age. Detective John Bishop, shot in the 
back as well, only survived because of his bullet-proof vest. If the 
defendant had been deported upon his arrest and not given sanctuary, 
these officers would not have been shot. Mr. Speaker, this ought not to 
be.

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