[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 38 (Tuesday, March 6, 2007)]
[House]
[Page H2169]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SCOTT GARDNER ACT
(Mrs. MYRICK asked and was given permission to address the House for
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
Mrs. MYRICK. Today, I reintroduce the Scott Gardner Act. Tragically,
Scott Gardner, who was a loving husband and father, was killed by a
drunk illegal alien who remained in our country even though he had
previous DWI convictions.
And we have had other constituents killed recently. Jasmine Lawrence
and Min Chang were both killed in wrecks caused by drunk-driving
illegal immigrants in Charlotte, North Carolina, area roads.
Most recently, 20-year-old LeeAnna Newman and her unborn child were
killed just outside of my district after her car was struck by an
illegal alien who later admitted to getting behind the wheel after
drinking tequila. He had a previous conviction also in North Carolina.
This act will give our law enforcement and immigration officials the
capacity and resources to deal with illegal aliens driving under the
influence in a manner that fits the crime. It would make DWI grounds
for mandatory detention and deportation of illegal aliens, and it would
aid law enforcement and our immigration laws by requiring the sharing
of information among Federal, State and local law enforcement agencies,
who would be required to collect this information during the course of
their normal duties.
State and local law enforcement agencies would be given the resouces
required to detain illegal aliens for DWI and immigration violations
until they could be transferred to Federal authorities for deportation.
It is a travesty that our country allows illegal immigrants to remain
after being found guilty of DWI.
We cannot prevent every instance of illegal aliens driving under the
influence.
However, there is no reason we should not take every measure possible
to remove habitual DWI offenders from our roads.
Our constituents expect us to ensure their safety and security.
The Scott Gardner Act will go a long way toward clearing our roads of
criminal illegal aliens who represent a grave threat to the safety of
our citizens.
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