Barletta praises creation of office to aid victims of illegal alien crimes

February 11, 2017
By Bill O'Boyle

WILKES-BARRE — U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta, R-Hazleton, is applauding the creation of an office within the Department of Homeland Security, which will provide services to people who have been victims of crimes committed by illegal aliens.

The office was established by President Donald J. Trump’s executive order of Jan. 25, which dealt with enforcing immigration laws in the interior of the country.

This is a separate executive order from the one that addressed the refugee program and travel restrictions for nationals of seven countries. Barletta highlighted the creation of the office during a Feb. 7, House Homeland Security Committee hearing, featuring testimony from the new DHS Secretary, retired Marine Corps General John Kelly.

“One of the principal reasons I ran for Congress was my frustration with the federal government over refusing to enforce our existing immigration laws,” Barletta said to Gen. Kelly. “My city of Hazleton … was overrun by illegal aliens who brought with them gangs, drugs, identify theft, fraud, other crimes that I had to deal with. No one was speaking for the victims of these crimes. I always heard that we have to have compassion for the person who comes here illegally. But I had to sit with people who lost loved ones who were victims, and I have compassion for them.”

Among other provisions, the executive order created the Office for Victims of Crimes Committed by Removable Aliens:

• Sec. 13 — Office for Victims of Crimes Committed by Removable Aliens. The Secretary shall direct the Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to take all appropriate and lawful action to establish within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement an office to provide proactive, timely, adequate, and professional services to victims of crimes committed by removable aliens and the family members of such victims. This office shall provide quarterly reports studying the effects of the victimization by criminal aliens present in the U.S..

According to an emailed news release from Barletta’s office, Kelly said the creation of the office is already underway, and though it was originally intended to be housed within the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, he has directed that it be elevated to answer directly to him as secretary of DHS. He described the office as a clearinghouse for information pertaining to crimes committed by illegal aliens.

“Generally speaking, these criminals who are here illegally are generally going through a criminal justice system in the states, for the most part,” Kelly said.

Another section of the same executive order cut off federal grants to sanctuary cities, an issue long championed by Barletta.

“One of the principal duties of the government is to protects its citizens, and the idea of sanctuary cities runs completely counter to that responsibility,” Barletta said. “Too many mayors and local governments think that they are above federal law and place their own ideology ahead of the safety of their residents.”

Barletta has authored legislation that would go even farther than the president’s executive orders. Barletta has introduced the Mobilizing Against Sanctuary Cities Act, H.R. 83, which will stop all federal funds from flowing to states or localities which resist or ban enforcement of federal immigration laws, or flatly refuse to cooperate with immigration officials.

The bill prohibits any federal funding for a minimum period of one year to any state or local government which has a policy or law that prevents them from assisting immigration authorities in enforcing federal immigration law.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency lists about 300 such localities in the U.S.

https://timesleader.com/news/local/6...l-alien-crimes

You need to pass a similar law that cuts funding to any court, state, local or federal, that provides sanctuary, financial benefits, release from custody or in any other way enables, aids or abets illegal aliens and illegal immigration in the United States in any way, on any level, for any reason.