[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 104 (Wednesday, July 14, 2010)]
[House]
[Page H5596]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             OUR INCONSISTENT POLICY TOWARD ILLEGAL ALIENS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Burton) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. BURTON of Indiana. Madam Speaker, I get a little concerned 
sometimes when there's a real inconsistency in our policy toward 
illegal aliens in this country. The administration and the Justice 
Department have said they're going to take the State of Arizona to 
court because the State of Arizona has passed a law which deals with 
stopping illegal immigration, and it parallels, it mirrors almost 
exactly the Federal statute.
  So the Federal Government is not doing what it should in enforcing 
the law dealing with our southern border. And so Arizona, who's dealing 
with drug traffickers, criminals, illegal aliens and possibly 
terrorists coming across the border, they have decided to do what the 
Federal Government won't. The Federal Government is supposed to do what 
Arizona is doing, and because Arizona is doing it, the Federal 
Government is suing them.

                              {time}  1640

  Now, at the same time we have what's called sanctuary cities, cities 
where illegals are encouraged to go, and they are in effect being 
protected. That is against the law. And so here you have the Federal 
Government, the Justice Department and the President saying we're not 
going to go after the sanctuary cities who are protecting illegal 
aliens that are in this country, and at the same time they're not going 
to enforce the law which says that we've got to protect the border 
against illegals coming in in the first place. It really is a real 
inconsistency, and it bothers almost everybody who thinks about it to 
say we're not enforcing one law and we're opposing another law.
  The government of the United States, the Justice Department, is 
opposing the very law that they're suing Arizona for in trying to 
protect that southern border. And at the same time, there is a law that 
deals with illegal aliens in sanctuary cities, and the Federal 
Government will not go after them. And the appearance is the Federal 
Government under the President, President Obama, and the Justice 
Department wants to protect those who are here illegally in sanctuary 
cities, but they do not want to police the border as prescribed by law. 
That is just dead wrong. It's an inconsistency. And the Justice 
Department and the administration should be taken to task for this.
  If I were talking to the American people, I would tell them to 
contact their Congressman if they are concerned about illegal 
immigration. We've got 12 to 15 million illegals in this country, and 
they are being protected in sanctuary cities against the law, and the 
Justice Department will do nothing about it, and the administration 
will do nothing about it. And at the same time, because Arizona is 
experiencing a real tragic situation down there, and they passed a law 
that is consistent with Federal statutes, the Federal Government is 
going after them.
  It makes absolutely no sense. And it begs the issue and the question 
about whether or not this administration and this Justice Department 
does want to protect our borders from illegal aliens. It doesn't appear 
that they really want to do that.

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