Immigration Law Enforcement Act of 2006

Now, in all fairness, you want to talk about the cost of law enforcement. Mr. Speaker, in my County of San Diego, the cost of illegal immigration to our law enforcement agencies is $50 million a year, just identified from the County of San Diego. The fact is that there should be involvement in local law enforcement to have the option. But actively there are groups here and groups in California that are telling local law enforcement officers they can't get involved in the illegal immigration issue until there has been a major crime such as murder, rape or mayhem. That is absolutely absurd.

The frustration in law enforcement is being pulled both ways on these issues. Anyone who is sworn to enforce the law knows the impact of illegal immigration, and every law enforcement officer in the long run wants to do everything they can to participate.

I just cringe to think about what our drug policy and drug enforcement policy would be in this country if we took the same attitude, that if a San Diego police officer saw a drug smuggler coming across the border, somehow he or she could not intervene because that is a Federal drug law that is being addressed.

Mr. Speaker, I ask that we stop finding excuses on not allowing our local law enforcement to get involved.

Let me throw this out. If we want to talk about the money issue, let's ask our colleagues on the other side of the aisle to join with us, and why don't we talk about doing fines and forfeiture allocations like we do with drug interdiction. Let's allow the local law enforcement to be able to keep a large percentage of the assets if they catch someone smuggling or is caught. Maybe that is something we can talk about, but not today find an excuse for not giving the authority to our local law enforcement to do what they know is right, and that is fight illegal immigration.

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