Perdue: Number Of Criminals In US Illegally A National Crisis

By ELLY YU

U.S. Sen. David Perdue, R-Georgia, said it's a problem when local law enforcement doesn't turn over immigrants who are in the country illegally to federal authorities for deportation.
Credit Manuel Balce Ceneta / Associated Press


U.S. Sen. David Perdue from Georgia called the number of criminals who are in the country illegally a "national security crisis" at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday.

Perdue cited a number from the Center for Immigration Studies, a group that opposes illegal immigration, which estimates there are more than 340,000 immigrants in the country illegally with criminal records.

"I would argue that this is a national emergency. It's absolutely outrageous, in my opinion," Perdue said. "I don't think there are any innocent parties in this debate."

He said it's a problem when local law enforcement doesn't turn over immigrants who are in the country without legal permission to federal authorities for deportation.

At the hearing, the director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Sarah Saldaña, said she wouldn't recommend forcing local jurisdictions to comply because it can hurt relationships.

Perdue disagreed.

"I'm not worried about relationships. I'm worried about results. And right now we've got cities not adhering to federal law," he said.

The Senate committee hearing comes after an immigrant in the country illegally allegedly shot a San Francisco woman this month. He had been released from local custody, despite a federal request to hold him.

The U.S. House is set to vote on a bill that would block federal funding for local agencies, or so-called "sanctuary cities," that don't comply with immigration enforcement.

Perdue is co-sponsoring a separate bill that would require local agencies to better cooperate with federal immigration enforcement agencies.

Immigrant advocates say when local law enforcement agencies get involved in federal immigrant enforcement, it can hurt the agencies' relationship with immigrant communities and prevent immigrants from reporting crime.

Earlier this month, a Georgia state senator said he will push for sanctions against counties in the state that don't cooperate with federal immigration officials.

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