Pramila Jayapal: 'Research Clearly Shows That Immigrants Commit Fewer Crimes Than Americans'

Forbes Breaking News

At a House Judiciary Committee hearing before the Congressional recess, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) pushed back on GOP attacks on sanctuary cities.

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00:00Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and welcome to all of our witnesses, including Sheriff Wagner from my

00:06home state of Washington. Good to see you here. Perhaps the chairman would have this level of

00:11concern for the victims of senseless gun violence across this country, 47,000 people who were killed

00:20from gun violence just in one year alone. Or perhaps the chairman would have this level of

00:25concern for the families of law enforcement that were killed during the January 6th insurrection

00:31on the United States Capitol, or even the families that are suffering from rising grocery prices

00:37and devastated retirement accounts thanks to Donald Trump's chaotic economic policy.

00:45Ever since Donald Trump came into office, my colleagues have been very happy to sit back and

00:51let him run completely roughshod over our laws. President Trump, Tom Homan, Stephen Miller,

00:57all led you to believe that this attack on immigrants was supposed to be about criminal immigrants.

01:03It was supposed to be about people who threaten public safety, despite the fact that research

01:08clearly shows that immigrants commit fewer crimes than Americans. They actually led you to believe

01:14that they were for the immigrants who did things legally. I can't tell you how many times on this

01:20committee. I've sat here as my Republican colleagues say, we're not against legal immigration.

01:24We're for the people who do things legally. They led you to believe that legal immigrants had nothing

01:30to worry about. People on permanent residence status or legal visas or legal status. They even led you to

01:36believe that somehow getting rid of immigrants would be good for American jobs, that it would bring down costs

01:42for the American public, and that this was all about caring for you versus them, some shady criminal

01:49immigrant that might be invading our communities. Well, as people's 401k accounts plummet with Trump's economic

01:56policies, as costs of everything that Americans need to buy keep going up instead of down, the effects of

02:03Trump's unconstitutional and unlawful actions against all immigrants are causing fear and havoc in our

02:11communities across the country. Let me be clear. Trump has targeted immigrants who are here lawfully,

02:17suspending refugee admissions, a program that, by the way, was once hailed by both Republicans and Democrats and the

02:25faith community everywhere as the cornerstone of humanitarian assistance. They are revoking the very

02:32programs that created legal pathways for immigrants to enter that effectively brought down the numbers at the

02:38border. And in revoking student visas and green cards of legal permanent residents, many of whom are married to

02:45U.S. citizens. They are going after every single immigrant in America, fabricating stories about

02:52these immigrants being, quote, criminals, even deporting them to other countries in violation of judicial orders.

03:00All of this leads us to ask once again, as the Fourth Circuit said earlier this week, in the case of a

03:05Maryland father who was, quote, mistakenly deported to a Salvadorian prison by the Trump administration,

03:11if due process is of no moment, what is stopping the government from refusing and removing to return

03:20a lawful permanent resident or even a natural born citizen? That is a quote from the judge in the decision.

03:29This obsession to weaponize every part of the U.S. government against immigrants is hurting Americans.

03:35It's taking away critical resources for crime prevention and counter-terrorism, drug interdiction,

03:42and other law enforcement at the Department of Justice and Homeland Security investigations,

03:47and it's terrorizing immigrants and their U.S. citizen family members, including those with no criminal

03:54background and with legal status. Now, the Trump administration wants to coerce state and local

04:00law enforcement to help them round up immigrants by threatening to cut off their transportation and law enforcement funds

04:07if they don't comply. Even though multiple courts have held that this is illegal and numerous research studies

04:13and law enforcement officials have confirmed that keeping the long-standing distinction between federal immigration

04:20and local law enforcement actually helps keep communities safer. In 2019, my home state of Washington

04:27passed the Keep Washington Working Act with bipartisan support. It's a common sense law to ensure that local

04:33policy remains focused on public safety of all residents rather than enforcing federal immigration law.

04:39We know that when local police act as immigration agents, immigrant communities and their families

04:45are less likely to come forward to report a crime when they are a witness or even a victim.

04:50It destroys the trust that police rely on to preserve public safety in communities.

04:55Courts have ruled multiple times that states have the right to enact laws like Keep Washington

05:02Working Act. And despite what you might hear today, the law does allow information sharing with the

05:07federal government when necessary for an ongoing criminal investigation or pursuant to a court order or a

05:15judicial warrant. As the Trump administration continues to bully and intimidate the country to bend the knee,

05:21we won't be intimidated. And I fully support Attorney General Nick Brown's efforts to ensure that everyone in

05:27our state follows our laws. The Major City Chiefs Association has repeatedly reaffirmed that across the country,

05:35if law enforcement officers are viewed by members of the immigrant community as colluding or working with

05:40immigration law enforcement officers, this would, and this is a quote, result in increased crime against immigrants in the broader community,

05:49create a class of silent victims and eliminate the potential for assistance from immigrants in solving crimes

05:55or preventing future terrorist acts.

05:57The Major City Chiefs Association has also explained that cooperation with the immigrant community is a crucial part of solving crime and

06:07preventing further criminal activity within the entire community, including ensuring protections for victims of domestic violence

06:15and sexual assault. Instead of trashing the rights of every American and destroying communities in our economy,

06:21this subcommittee should be holding hearings on why Mahmoud Khalil remains detained simply for expressing pro-Palestinian views

06:29that Donald Trump doesn't like. Or why Alfredo Juarez, a long-time labor leader, has been detained in my state of Washington,

06:37apparently simply for organizing farm workers for fairer wages. Or why a local roofing company just had a raid

06:44where 37 immigrants, who are long-time residents in our state, building affordable housing for our communities,

06:50were all picked up and jailed. Or why the administration refuses to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the United States

06:58to reunite with his U.S. citizen wife and his three children, even after admitting

07:04to mistakenly deporting him to a Salvadorian gulag where he fears for his life. Let's have a hearing, Mr. Chairman,

07:11on the disappearing and the kidnapping of people across this country, instead of hurting public safety for

07:18all Americans by undermining trust policies of local jurisdictions. I yield back.

07:24The chair is now pleased to recognize the chairman of the full committee, Mr. Jordan, for his opening

07:30stand. I think the chairman, here's how it works. I sends a detainer to the local sheriff or the local police chief.

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