September 21, 2006
Washington, D.C. -- Congressman Steve Chabot (R-Cincinnati) today voted for three major pieces of legislation that will help increase border security and crack down on illegal immigration. The three bills passed by the House were the Immigration Law Enforcement Act of 2006 (H.R. 6095), the Border Tunnel
Prevention Act of 2006 (H.R. 4830), and the Community Protection Act of 2006 (H.R. 6094). The bills were developed after more than 2 months of field hearings where Members examined the issue of border security in local communities around the nation.
“Targeting violent alien gang members and drug smugglers will help make our streets safer,” said Congressman Chabot, a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee. “We need to continue efforts to crack down on illegal immigration and strengthen border security.”
The Immigration Law Enforcement Act of 2006, which passed by a vote of 277 to 140, reaffirms the authority of state and local law enforcement to voluntarily enforce immigration laws. This includes the ability to investigate, identify, apprehend, arrest, detain and transfer to federal custody suspected illegal immigrants. The legislation also closes legal loopholes that have prevented certain illegal immigrants from being expeditiously returned to their country of origin. In addition, the bill increases the number of attorneys dedicated to prosecuting alien smuggling cases.
The Border Tunnel Prevention Act of 2006 enacts criminal penalties of up to 20 years in prison for individuals who knowingly construct, or finance the construction of, an unauthorized tunnel across the U.S. border. The bill also levies stiff penalties for individuals who permit the construction of such a tunnel on their own property and for individuals caught using such a tunnel to smuggle aliens, contraband, drugs, weapons or terrorists. The legislation passed the House by a vote of 422 to 0.
The Community Protection Act of 2006 implements a process to extend the amount of time criminal aliens can be detained, enabling the Department of Homeland Security to keep these criminals from being released back into society. The bill, which passed 328 to 95, also allows for expedited removal of criminal aliens and expands the authority to detain and deport alien gang members.
