[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 18 (Wednesday, January 31, 2024)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E100]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              OPPOSING H.R. 5585, H.R. 6678, AND H.R. 6976

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, January 31, 2024

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise in opposition of H.R. 5585, H.R. 
6678, and H.R. 6976, a series of Republican messaging bills.
  This week, instead of working in a bipartisan manner to fix our 
broken immigration system, the Republican Majority brought their 
partisan messaging bills to the House Floor. These three bills are 
unnecessary. As our laws are written today, conviction of these crimes 
already makes a person with a green card or visa deportable. For 
example, H.R. 5585 makes fleeing border patrol a deportable offense--
this is already a deportable offense. H.R. 6678 makes an immigrant who 
commits Social Security fraud deportable--this is already a deportable 
offense. H.R. 6976 makes a person deportable if convicted of a serious 
DUI--this is already a deportable offense.
  These bills are unnecessary, but what is radical about them is that 
they change due process under the United States Constitution. In two of 
the bills, the crimes described do no longer require a conviction to 
make a lawful resident deportable. In America, you are innocent until 
proven guilty. This has been the law of the land for hundreds of years. 
These bills are a slippery slope and move to take away the rights of 
those legally present in the United States. My concern is, will 
Republicans stop there, or will U.S. citizens be next?
  With the bills House Republicans have brought to the Floor this week, 
along with their unjustified and unprecedented impeachment of Secretary 
Mayorkas in the Homeland Security Committee, they continue to 
demonstrate they are not willing to work toward real solutions to bring 
order to the border and fix our immigration system. You deserve real 
solutions to these issues. I am committed to working with anyone who is 
serious about bringing forward meaningful solutions to the problems at 
our border.

                          ____________________