John Conyers

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Gutierrez).

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Judy Chu), a former member of the House Judiciary Committee.

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren) for a unanimous consent request. (Ms. LOFGREN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record letters of opposition to H.R. 3004, namely, the Federal Defenders of New York and 407 local, State, national immigrant civil rights, faith, and labor organizations. Federal Defenders of New York, Inc. New York, NY, June 29, 2017. Re H.R. 3004, Kate's Law Hon. Paul Ryan, Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC. Hon. Bob Goodlatte, Chair, House Judiciary Committee, Washington, DC. Hon. Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader, U.S. House of Representatives, Washington,

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Correa).

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler), a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee.

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren), our senior Representative on the Judiciary Committee.

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3004 is an anti-immigrant enforcement-only proposal that represents yet another step in President Trump's mass deportation plan. This legislation significantly expands the Federal Government's ability to prosecute individuals for illegal entry and attempted reentry into the United States. My colleagues on the other side of the aisle say this bill is about protecting us from criminals. But don't be fooled about the ultimate effect of this bill. It does far more than target immigrants with criminal histories. For the first time, this legislation would make it a felony for an individual who has been previously removed or merely denied admission to come to an official port of entry to ask for reentry into the country legally. This is true even if the individual has no criminal history whatsoever. For instance, the expanded offense would apply to persecuted asylum seekers voluntarily presenting themselves at a port of entry to request asylum under our own immigration laws. It would reach desperate victims of sex trafficking who approach the Customs and Border Protection officer to seek protection. It would even extend to persons asking to enter on humanitarian parole to donate lifesaving organs to United States citizen relatives. Under H.R. 3004, all of these individuals could face up to 2 years in prison simply for coming to an official port of entry to request immigration benefits provided under our immigration laws. Finally, this bill perpetuates the fiction that immigrants are somehow inherently criminal. Nothing could be further from the truth. Numerous studies examining this issue conclude that immigrants actually commit crimes at a significantly lower rate than native-born Americans. Given this legislation's defects, it comes to us as no surprise that organizations across the Nation join with me in opposition. They include: The conservative Cato Institute, which called H.R. 3004, ``a waste of Federal resources'' that fails to safeguard ``Americans against serious criminals.'' Cities For Action, representing over 150 mayors and municipal leaders, warned the bill would place asylum seekers at further risk. And the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, which described how this measure, H.R. 3004, will punish victims of domestic and sexual violence merely for requesting protection. H.R. 3004 is not what its sponsors would like us to believe. In truth, it is a mean-spirited bill that would have far-reaching consequences by making it a crime to ask for benefits that our immigration laws provide. Therefore, I urge my colleagues to join me in opposing this dangerous legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. CONYERS. I yield the gentlewoman an additional 1 minute.

Mr. CONYERS

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume to close. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 3003 is not making our communities safer. If it was, the bill's sponsors would have heeded the strong opposition of organizations like the National Fraternal Order of Police, who stated that, ``withholding needed assistance to law enforcement agencies-- which have no policymaking role--hurts public safety efforts;'' and the U.S. Conference of Mayors, who cautioned, ``H.R. 3003 is a bad bill for our cities and their residents and for our Nation. It would jeopardize public safety, preempt local authority, and expose local governments to litigation and potential findings of damage.'' Instead, this legislation is a down payment on the President's and the Republican majority's mass deportation plan. This bill, and the one that we will debate later today, is a portion of the mass deportation bill known as the ``Davis-Oliver Act,'' which has been cited as a priority for the Trump administration, and is supported by anti-immigrant groups, such as NumbersUSA and the Center for Immigration Studies. I respectfully urge my colleagues to oppose this dangerous legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentlewoman.

Mr. CONYERS. I yield the gentlewoman an additional 1 minute.

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren), a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee.

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. Panetta).

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lofgren) for a unanimous consent request. (Ms. LOFGREN asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, how much time remains on each side?

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentlewoman.

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky), a dedicated civil rights leader.

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Doggett), a former justice to the Texas Supreme Court.

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Connolly).

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley), our Democratic Caucus chair.

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee), the ranking member of the Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and Investigations Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee.

Mr. CONYERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Nadler), the ranking member of the Intellectual Properties Subcommittee.