[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 153 (Wednesday, October 21, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H11523]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             287(G) PROGRAM

  (Mr. POLIS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the 
Federal 287(g) program. This unconscionable program authorizes local 
governments to carry out immigration law compliance, threatening law 
enforcement and our constitutional protections. We've seen Sheriff 
Arpaio of Maricopa County, Arizona, despicably racially profile and 
round up Latinos in front of TV cameras as he enforced his 287(g) 
powers. We've watched in horror as he and others who are a disgrace to 
the uniforms they wear detain people based solely upon the color of 
their skin.
  Arpaio is now, thankfully, under investigation for civil rights 
violations for his discriminatory, unconstitutional searches and 
seizures. Nevertheless, I'm sad to announce that last Friday afternoon, 
ICE announced 287(g) agreements with 67 State and local law enforcement 
agencies across the county. 287(g) scares victims and witnesses of 
crimes to avoid contacting police for fear of being mistreated. 287 
invites exploitation by those who know that they won't be reported to 
police because it combines the contradictory duties into the same 
police force.
  What's the result? A sweep of terror that's frightened legal and 
undocumented immigrants into hiding, undermining law enforcement 
efforts across our country. 287(g) programs undermine the spirit and 
the text of the Constitution, and I encourage Congress to repeal 
287(g).

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