Thread: SCHUMER PROMISES NAPOLITANO HE WILL PROPOSE GIVING FEDS NEW

SCHUMER PROMISES NAPOLITANO HE WILL PROPOSE GIVING FEDS NEW AUTHORITY TO SEIZE 'STASH' HOUSES USED BY HUMAN SMUGGLERS

States News Service
June 10, 2009 Wednesday
WASHINGTON D.C.

The following information was released by New York Senator Charles Schumer:

At the urging of the Obama administration, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) announced Wednesday that he would push, as part of the comprehensive immigration reform bill he plans to propose in the coming months, to give the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) new authority to seize property linked to human trafficking crimes.

Schumer, the Chairman of the Senate Immigration Subcommittee, made the commitment at a meeting with Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, who requested that Congress deal with this issue. Under current law, federal authorities are prevented from taking a home used to stash illegal immigrants unless the owner is first found guilty of a crime. Schumers proposal would allow the house to be seized based instead upon a showing that it was being used to facilitate a crime. This is the same standard that applies in drug smuggling, money laundering and child pornography cases. Schumer called this update to the law critical to the nations border security efforts.

Right now, a loophole in the law is making it harder to shut down safe houses being used to smuggle illegal immigrants. It makes no sense that the government has this authority in drug smuggling cases, but not with human smuggling. This policy needs to be fixed right away, and we will be sure to include it in our comprehensive reform bill. It will put a serious dent in the operations of the Mexican cartels that deal in human trafficking.

Gaining the expanded authority, known as civil forfeiture, has been a priority for federal law enforcement officials since the Bush administration. While authorities have the ability to seize vessels and vehicles through a civil proceeding, they cannot seize homes in this same manner. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) office, a division of DHS, has long complained that this distinction has frustrated their efforts to crack down on human traffickers who use stash houses as way stations along their smuggling routes. A 2005 report issued by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) report concurred, noting that a concern for investigators is lack of adequate statutory civil forfeiture authority for seizing real property, such as stash houses, used to facilitate the smuggling of aliens. Despite the reports recommendation that Congress update the law to expand civil forfeiture authority, it has ever been taken.

But on Wednesday, Schumer assured Napolitano he would begin drafting legislative language to expand the agencys powers right away and add it to the comprehensive immigration reform bill he is drafting. He predicted the measure would gain bipartisan support.

http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/En ... 14&start=2

Quote:

"At the urging of the Obama administration, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) announced Wednesday that he would push, as part of the comprehensive immigration reform bill he plans to propose in the coming months, to give the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) new authority to seize property linked to human trafficking crimes."

We cannot allow them to make immigration law enforcement part of CIR!

Promises, promises. The problem is that most stash houses are rentals or abandoned. The owners can not be held responsible if they claim to have no knowledge of a crime on their property.
This is just another "promise" of enforcement to sway voters to support amnesty. Just like we were promised an end to illegal immigration by the last "one time" amnesty of 1986. Just like were were promised workplace enforcement in 1986.....

We can clearly see that amnesty rewards illegal actions. Once legal status is given, these law breakers will have more family and friends come illegally, just like before, providing cover for them to stay.
Why do you think we now have an enormous illegal immigrant problem?
AMNESTY

Texan123 wrote:

This is just another "promise" of enforcement to sway voters to support amnesty.

You're right. I'm fairly certain will see a lot more of these weak (possibly illusionary) gestures in Schumers finished amnesty plan. Everyone already knows we have all the enforcement laws we really need to effect serious change. However, we also know that those laws are meaningless unless enforced.

Schumer is hated by most New Yorkers. It would be nice if he spent even a fraction of the time and care he spends pandering to illegals and their advocates, on the legal citizens of New York. He is one sickening guy!

What a joke, once they get CIR they will not enforce the laws anymore than they have the last 23 years....if they are unwilling to enforce them now they will not do it later...stuff it schumer, keep your bone we don't want it!!

Originally Posted by ELE

Schumer is hated by most New Yorkers. It would be nice if he spent even a fraction of the time and care he spends pandering to illegals and their advocates, on the legal citizens of New York. He is one sickening guy!

You took the words right out of my mouth.