[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 112 (Thursday, June 29, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H5306]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        COMMUNITY-BASED POLICING EFFORTS VITAL TO PUBLIC SAFETY

  (Mr. BROWN of Maryland asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. BROWN of Maryland. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3003, a partisan bill that 
seeks to punish so-called sanctuary cities, strikes at the heart of 
community-based policing efforts vital to public safety.
  Under this bill, States and counties where local police focus on 
community priorities rather than immigration enforcement would be 
punished, losing millions of dollars that could be used to build up 
communities, improve our Nation's infrastructure, and strengthen local 
government.
  Moreover, this bill would jeopardize public safety by discouraging 
people from trusting law enforcement, sharing information, or reporting 
crime.
  Across the country, most police chiefs have expressed serious 
concerns about policies that may lead to racial profiling or requiring 
their officers to break up families.
  They have said that immigration enforcement should remain a Federal 
responsibility. Instead of forcing local police to act as immigration 
officers, we should work on passing comprehensive immigration reform 
that includes a pathway to citizenship for aspiring Americans.
  And if we truly want to makes the streets of America safer, Congress 
should act to strengthen bonds between community and police, invest in 
mental health and substance abuse services, reduce gun violence, and 
reform the criminal justice system.

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