 Kilpatrick’s Statement Regarding H.R. 6094, the Community Protection Act
Mr. Speaker: I rise today in opposition to H.R. 6064, the Community Protection Act of 2006. The nation has been calling for comprehensive immigration reform. By focusing only on enforcement, the majority would have us ignore our nation’s economic dependence on immigrant labor and does nothing to address the millions of undocumented individuals already living and working in the country today. H.R. 6064 will have the effect of restricting the rights of immigrants to due process protections, like judicial review and immigration hearings, and could have serious, possibly life-endangering consequences for immigrants and asylum-seekers. Permitting the indefinite detention of an individual, even a non-citizen, is a practice one would associate with oppressive regimes. Applying that decision retroactively is a direct violation of due process; due process is essential when you consider the number of documented failures in custody review procedures and administrative delays. The measure grants Department of Homeland Security officials, rather than immigration officials or other courts, the authority to determine whether expedited removal of individuals is admissible. The language does not specify that an individual be convicted of any crime; it instead allows low-level officers to play judge and jury deciding whether an individual poses a threat to public safety. In doing so it denies individuals the rights to safeguards provided by judicial review, which has been so important to protecting civil liberties in our nation. I strongly encourage my colleagues to reject this measure and instead move forward with negotiations for comprehensive immigration reform that responsibly addresses all aspects of this critical issue. ###
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