Grothman Opens Hearing on the Biden Border Crisis’ Impact on Public Safety

WASHINGTON—Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs Chairman Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) delivered opening remarks at a subcommittee hearing titled “How the Border Crisis Impacts Public Safety.” In his opening statement, Subcommittee Chairman Grothman highlighted how the failed policies from the Biden Administration have resulted in illegal aliens with criminal backgrounds being allowed to remain in communities and pose a danger to citizens. He continued by emphasizing that the Biden Administration must stop releasing illegal aliens into the country in droves, and when illegal aliens commit crimes in the community, turn them over to ICE, enforce the law, and remove them from the United States.

Below are Subcommittee Chairman Grothman’s remarks as prepared for delivery.

The Biden Administration’s open border policies have led to the worst border crisis in American history.

Millions of illegal aliens have entered the United States under the Biden Administration, impacting every community across the country.

This Congress, both my subcommittee and the full committee have examined the consequences of the Biden Administration’s horrendous border policies. 

The President has unnecessarily created national security and humanitarian crises by refusing to uphold the rule of law.

Today we are examining how the border crisis is affecting public safety in our towns, cities, and communities.

Not surprisingly, the open southwest border has attracted many illegal aliens with criminal histories. 

But rather than simply deport those with criminal backgrounds, the Biden Administration is letting them remain in our communities. 

In fact, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency’s non-detained docket has at least 617,000 aliens with criminal convictions or pending criminal charges.

That’s the non-detained docket. 

One would think that being a criminal illegal alien would make someone an enforcement priority.  But it is not under the Biden Administration.

In 2021, Secretary Mayorkas issued a memorandum entitled “Guidelines for the Enforcement of Civil Immigration Law” stating that criminal history doesn’t automatically make an illegal alien an enforcement priority.

Instead, immigration officers have to engage in a complex analysis of whether that criminal illegal alien is a “current” public safety threat to be considered an enforcement priority. 

What does that mean?

In 2022, the ICE Principal Legal Advisor issued a memo interpreting the Mayorkas guidelines.

Her memorandum stated, “the existence of criminal history alone, regardless of severity, will not necessarily indicate that a noncitizen presently poses a current public safety threat pursuant to the Secretary’s priorities.”

According to this standard, a criminal alien could theoretically be a convicted murderer and avoid becoming an enforcement priority for ICE.

The Administration will wait to enforce our laws until the threat is deemed by them to be a “current” threat. 

By that time, it will be too late as we have seen too many times in recent months.

And even if the Biden Administration cared to enforce our laws, sanctuary jurisdictions work to make our country less safe by shielding these criminals from immigration consequences.

Sanctuary jurisdictions across the country refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities, mainly in the case where an individual is arrested or convicted for criminal activity.

In contrast to the harm caused by sanctuary jurisdictions, today, we have two Sheriffs representing communities that are not sanctuary jurisdictions.

These Sheriffs are fighting at the local level to keep their constituents safe from criminal illegal aliens.

Criminal illegal aliens who shouldn’t be in the United States to commit crimes against our citizens.

Today, I imagine we will hear from the other side lots of claims about flawed studies with shaky evidence seeking to show that illegal aliens are somehow less likely to commit crimes in the United States.

Cite those studies all you want to the victims of crime committed by criminal illegal aliens.

I doubt shaky statistical claims and platitudes will make them whole.

The fact is that illegal aliens should not be in the country in the first place and able to commit these crimes.

Moreover, an analysis of Texas Department of Public Safety data showed that illegal aliens ARE more likely to be convicted of homicide, sexual assault, and kidnapping than the average Texan.  

The solutions aren’t hard. 

Secure the border, stop releasing illegal aliens into the country in droves, and when an illegal alien commits a crime in the community, turn them over to ICE, enforce the law, and remove them from the United States.

It really is just that simple.