Source: United States Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND)
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) joined Senator Jim Inhofe (R-OK) in introducing the Keep Our Communities Safe Act, legislation closing the legal loophole requiring immigration authorities to release illegal aliens back into the United States who have not been accepted for deportation to other countries after being detained for six months in the U.S. – a practice also referred to as “catch and release.”
“Right now, violent criminals and illegal immigrants who break our laws are allowed to be released back into the United States. This is reckless and completely irresponsible. The blatant disregard for the rule of law is not only bad policy, but is dangerous to communities who are suffering because of Joe Biden’s open border and catch and release policies. The Keep Our Communities Safe Act closes loopholes in a broken immigration system,” said Senator Cramer.
“Our immigration system is broken and President Biden won’t acknowledge the crisis we are facing at the southern border,” said Senator Inhofe. “That’s why my colleagues and I introduced the Keep Our Communities Safe Act this week. This legislation would close the ‘catch-and-release’ loophole, which puts law abiding citizens, local law enforcement officials and communities at risk. Our bill will ensure that illegal aliens who have been found guilty of violent crimes and aggravated felonies are not able to remain in our communities. As the current law stands, an illegal alien with a criminal record is released back into the United States after six months if no other country accepts them for deportation. This bill is a commonsense solution and it’s time for it to become law.”
Joining Senators Cramer and Inhofe are Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Roger Wicker (R-MS), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Jim Risch (R-ID), John Kennedy (R-LA), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Bill Hagerty (R-TN), Cynthia Lummis (R-WY), Mike Braun (R-IN), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Roger Marshall (R-KS), Mike Rounds (R-SD), Steve Daines (R-MT), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and John Barrasso (R-WY).
Click here for bill text.
Background:
The Keep Our Communities Safe Act closes the loophole that prevents DHS from detaining non-removable immigrants beyond the current Supreme Court-mandated six months in these specific situations:
- The alien will be removed in the reasonably foreseeable future;
- The alien would have been removed but for the alien’s refusal to make all reasonable efforts to comply and cooperate with the Secretary’s efforts to remove him;
- The alien has a highly contagious disease;
- Release would have serious adverse foreign policy consequences;
- Release would threaten national security; or
- Release would threaten the safety of the community and the alien either is an aggravated felon or has committed a crime of violence.