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Washington, DC -- Congressman David Davis is holding an illegal immigration roundtable with officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), along with state and local law enforcement agencies. The goal of this roundtable is to educate state and local agencies on what additional roles or functions they may be able to provide in the fight against illegal immigration and for ICE to understand the concerns state and local agencies have when fighting to control our illegal immigration problem. Congressman Davis’ opening statement follows:
Thank you all for being with me today and participating in this very important discussion on illegal immigration.
I want to start off this conversation today with a few facts and figures.
• Currently, it is estimated that there are between 10 and 20 million illegal immigrants in the United States. Astonishing, isn’t it?
• What’s more astonishing is that estimates indicate that there are 100,000 to 150,000 illegal immigrants in Tennessee alone. That’s enough to fill up Bristol Motor Speedway.
• Even more astonishing is that approximately 10,000 illegal immigrants cross our border each day. Many winding up in East Tennessee, and if you do the math, about 830 illegal immigrants will illegally cross during today’s roundtable.
Now, I wanted to bring everyone here today to discuss the best ways possible to alleviate the illegal immigration problem we all are seeing in the First District. I want to thank the officials from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), who took the time to be with us today and help with the problem we are facing.
Historically, our nation’s immigration laws have been derived from the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). At its inception, the authority for state and local law enforcement officials to enforce immigration law has been construed to be limited to the criminal provisions of the INA. In contrast, the enforcement of the civil provisions, which includes apprehension and removal of deportable aliens has been STRICTLY viewed as a federal responsibility, with states and local law enforcement playing a supporting role.
Through amendments to the INA and the 287(g) program, state and local law enforcement agencies have been given a broadened scope in immigration law enforcement than they previously had.
Broadly speaking, Section 287 (g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) provides the legal authority for state and local law enforcement to investigate, detain, and arrest aliens on civil and criminal grounds. Section 287 (g) strays away from the original provisions of the INA and gives the localities more power in the fight against illegal immigration. This section is a must for any meaningful illegal immigration reform.
To piggy-back on the fundamentally sound 287 (g) program, I have authored H.R. 2086 to address what I saw as funding inequities in the program. This legislation requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to reimburse a state or locality the expenses they incur when law enforcement officers receive training related to border security and immigration enforcement functions.
Meaningful reforms and legislation will ease the strains illegal immigration is putting on Tennessee and the U.S.
Now let’s get to why everyone is here today:
Many state and local law enforcement agencies have voiced concerns over proper training, the need for more resources, possible civil rights violations, and the overall impact on our communities.
Today, it is my goal to have ICE explain their jurisdiction, function, facilities, and resources available to state and local law enforcement agencies and to show what opportunities there are for law enforcement agencies to participate in Immigration enforcement.
Through this discussion today, it is my hope to:
First, educate our state and local law enforcement on additional roles or functions they may be able to provide in the fight against illegal immigration. And second, educate ICE on issues or concerns the state and local law enforcement officers are facing on a daily basis related to illegal immigration.
Thank you again to everyone who is participating. Let’s get started on finding the best way to alleviate our illegal immigration problems here in the First District of Tennessee.
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