Tom McClintock

Mr. McCLINTOCK

Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, the so-called bipartisan legislation that the gentleman refers to would have made it impossible for President Trump to have taken the actions he has just taken to secure our border until illegal immigration exceeded 4,000 entries a day. That is why it collapsed in the Senate and it was ultimately disavowed by its own author. The gentleman is correct to lament the terrible violence in our Nation, especially in our dangerous Democratic cities. So here is a modest proposal: Take the criminals off the streets, like Laken Riley's killer, which is exactly what this bill does. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Yakym).

Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Feenstra), who is the author of Sarah's Law that is incorporated into this bill.

Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I remind the gentleman that current law already requires every illegal immigrant to be detained. That law is simply not being enforced. This bill says that if that illegal alien who is supposed to be in custody anyway is arrested for other crimes, then they really have to be taken off the streets. If this bill had been law, then Laken Riley would be alive today. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Van Drew).

Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 30 seconds to the gentleman from New Jersey.

Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from Georgia (Ms. Greene).

Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Onder).

Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Collins). He is the author of the Laken Riley Act in the House, representing her hometown and her grieving family.

Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from Georgia.

Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. LaMalfa).

Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, may I inquire as to the time remaining.

Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. First, in response to my friend, I would say after the last 4 years in which the Democrats brought the full force of the government to intimidate social platforms, to shut down dissenting opinions, and stifle public debate, I would be a little more careful about invoking the Alien and Sedition Acts. The gentleman offers us gun control as an antidote; we offer criminal control. Get the criminals off the streets, which is exactly what this bill does. I am sure that he must be very upset that Mr. Biden pardoned his son for gun crimes. Mr. Speaker, to my Democratic colleagues who have joined Republicans to pass this bill into law, I thank them for standing up to the woke left of their party. That is a hard thing to do, especially when it exposes them to their insults and epithets and threats of political retribution. To the others, I ask how many more laws with names attached to them do we need to pass before you take this crisis seriously. How many American citizens must die at the hands of illegal aliens before we all agree that these tragedies are fully preventable? Must the name of my child or their child be the one attached to an H.R. number or an S. number before Democrats can vote ``yes'' on these commonsense bills? The fine point of the matter comes down to this: If this bill had been law, Jocelyn Nungaray, Sarah Root, Rachel Moran, Laken Riley, and many, many more such victims would be alive today because their killers would have been taken into custody. Under President Trump, they never would have been allowed into our country in the first place. Mr. Speaker, I ask for adoption of this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. McCLINTOCK

Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, three moms came before the House Committee on the Judiciary last fall. They had one thing in common. Their daughters had been brutally assaulted and murdered by illegal aliens who had been allowed into this country by the Democratic administration and had not been removed even after committing other offenses, as well. The statistics tell us how broad this threat has become. Behind the statistics are grieving families, shattered lives, and entirely preventable atrocities. Not one of these murderers would have been here except for the Democrats' deliberate policies. The Democrats often talk about the war on women, but they couldn't care less about allowing a flood of sexual offenders, domestic violence offenders, and child abusers into our communities, allowing them to stay indefinitely, free from any fear of deportation and protected by the Democrats' sanctuary laws. When these monsters commit these ghastly acts and grief-stricken moms come here for help, the Democrats put on their best long faces, assure everyone how much they grieve with the families, and then argue to continue precisely the same policies that have produced this nightmare in the first place. Thank God that in 4 days this tragic chapter in our Nation's history will close. Shortly after noon on Monday, President Trump will issue executive orders to protect the American people once again. It is too late for these grieving families but perhaps just in time for yours or mine. Yet I worry that if the Democrats are ever returned to power, these policies will resume. We have got to change our laws so that they can't. This measure removes the loopholes in current law that allowed the Democrats to unleash this scourge on our communities and requires that illegal aliens who commit sex offenses or domestic violence not be allowed into this country under any circumstances and must be immediately removed if they do get in, no matter who is President.

Mr. McCLINTOCK

Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, the unprovoked and barbaric attack on Israeli civilians on October 7 presented Israel with a fundamental moral obligation to annihilate the forces that had unleashed such depravity. Ironically, the United Nations was conceived in the aftermath of the Holocaust, precisely to stand behind the civilized nations of the world when the forces of evil threatened. Tragically, it has become grotesquely perverted. UNRWA's staff actively participated in the attack of October 7, and its ICC has now become a kangaroo court, waging lawfare against Israel's wartime leaders. The ICC has thus made a mockery of every hope and dream that gave birth to the United Nations and has declared by its own obscene acts to be, itself, a threat to world peace, international order, and the rule of law. I wholeheartedly support this bill, sanctioning anyone who gives it aid and comfort in pursuing its twisted agenda.

Mr. McCLINTOCK

Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 29.

Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the brutal murder of Laken Riley was foreordained the day Joe Biden took office and reversed the successful Trump policies that had finally secured our borders. Since that day just 4 years ago, more than 7.8 million illegal aliens have been deliberately allowed into our country--a population the size of the State of Washington, our 13th largest State. Very little is done to vet these millions of illegal migrants. We don't know how many terrorists and violent criminals are among them, and worse, the Democrats don't seem to care. We know that the number of terrorists we are apprehending has skyrocketed and that violent international crime cartels and violent foreign gangs are now operating freely in our communities, often protected from deportation and detention by the Democrats' sanctuary laws. One of these criminals has now been convicted of the brutal murder of Laken Riley. How many such monsters have the Democrats deliberately allowed into our country we do not know, but we are slowly, painfully, and tragically finding out victim by victim. In this case, the murderer was paroled into this country through a shocking abuse of this power by the Biden administration. He was repeatedly arrested for theft and other crimes in sanctuary jurisdictions and each time released back onto our streets. Just months before Laken Riley's murder, this murderer was arrested for theft, but he was released. ICE did not take him into custody because of a Biden administration policy that shields many criminal aliens from arrest and deportation. Sadly, this is exactly what those who voted for Joe Biden in 2020 voted for because this is exactly what the Democrats promised to do. Fortunately, those who voted for Donald Trump in 2024 voted to stop this tragic travesty of our immigration laws because that is what he has promised to do and will begin doing over the Democrats' objections beginning at noon on January 20. During his first term, President Trump proved that the President on his own authority can secure our borders. President Biden proved that a President determined to undermine and make a mockery of our immigration laws can willfully open those borders to the most violent criminals, terrorists, gangs, and cartels on this planet and use the Democrats' sanctuary laws to protect them. This national nightmare will end at noon on Inauguration Day, but what of future Presidents? The Laken Riley Act would require ICE detention for illegal aliens who are charged with, arrested for, or convicted of any burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting offense. H.R. 29 further requires the Department of Homeland Security to issue a detainer for those illegal aliens and take custody of them effectively and expeditiously. It would also allow States to bring a civil action against derelict Federal officials who refuse to enforce these laws. Joe Biden and Alejandro Mayorkas, I am looking at you. This bill passed the Republican House in March of last year, but Senate Democrats stopped it cold. I said at the time that, today, the name on the bill is Laken Riley. Tomorrow, it will be another victim of these policies, another son, daughter, or loved one. It won't stop until this administration is stopped, and that can only be done by the American people. Thank God, the American people have done exactly that. They have given this Congress and this President the tools and mandate to secure our borders and remove every person who has broken into our country by violating our laws. Without this law, a future Democratic President could once again release dangerous illegal aliens back onto our streets to prey on our people and destroy innocent lives like Laken Riley's. This bill would stop them. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from Arizona.

Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 5, I call up the bill (H.R. 29) to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to take into custody aliens who have been charged in the United States with theft, and for other purposes, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I want you to listen to what my friend just said, that we shouldn't be placing illegals in detention simply for being charged with a crime; and, besides, shoplifting is no big deal anyway. Listen to what he is actually suggesting. Current law requires the detention of every illegal alien who crosses our border. Every one. The Democrats have studiously ignored this law, and now they are saying ignore this law even if the illegal has now been charged with committing other crimes as well. Let them back onto the streets, as they did with Laken Riley's murderer. If a few innocent teens happen to get raped and murdered along the way, well, too bad. The Democrats have told us for 4 years that their refusal to enforce our immigration laws is because they are prioritizing more dangerous offenders. That is precisely what this bill does. It prioritizes dangerous offenders, and yet the Democrats are still opposing it. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Collins), the author of this measure. Mr. Collins represents Laken Riley's hometown and her grieving family in this House.

Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Biggs), who has done work on our subcommittee on this issue.

Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Van Orden).

Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. Harris).

Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Clyde).

Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Van Drew).

Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentleman from New Jersey.

Mr. McCLINTOCK. Madam Speaker, perhaps we should take all the criminals off the streets, starting with those who shouldn't have been in our country in the first place, which is what this bill does. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Cline).