Senate Proceeding on Oct 7th, 2009 :: 7:51:10 to 7:58:55
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7:50:52 to 7:51:12( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: quorum call: a senator: the presiding officer: the senator from louisiana. mr. vitter: thank you, mr. president. mr. president, i ask unanimous consent to set aside the pending amendment. the presiding officer: the senate's in a quorum mr. vitter: excuse me, mr. president. in that case, i first ask animous consent to vitiate the quorum call. the presidin officer: without objection. mr. vitter: and i now ask

7:51:10 to 7:58:55( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: David Vitter

7:51:13 to 7:51:33( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: unanimous consent to set aside the pending amendment and to call up vitter amendment number the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from louisiana, an amendment numbered 2630. mr. vitter: mr. president, i ask unanimous consent reading of the whole. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. vitter: mr. president, i waived reading of the whole. it's very short.

7:51:34 to 7:51:55( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: i'll read the whole to explain what this amendment is about. "none of the amounts made available in ts title under the heading 'community-oriented policing services' may be used in contravention of section 642-a of the illegal immigration reform and immigrant

7:51:56 to 7:52:16( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: responsibility act of 1996." mr. president, that is the entire amendment. what does that very simple, mr. president. that illegal immigration reform act is about the mandate that local government has to fully cooperate with federal immigration officials with

7:52:17 to 7:52:40( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: regard enforcement. government becomes immigration agents, that they have the affirmative responsibility to do all of that work for the proper federa it does mean that when they come across illegal immigrants and arrest them

7:52:41 to 7:53:02( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: duty bound under federal law to properly inform the federal authorities. the problem is, mr. president, in several select jurisdictions around the country, sanctuary cities, these jurisdicons have made the affirmative public statement and decision that they're not going to do that.

7:53:03 to 7:53:26( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: they're not going to comply with federal law. they're going to ignore federal immigration law, and they're not going to cooperate in any way with federal immigration enforcement authorities. mr. president, we can debate whether that's good policy or bad policy. in my opinion, here on the floor we don't really need to get to

7:53:27 to 7:53:47( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: that level of debate because it is present federal law that that cooperation must be extended by local phreu governments. and so these sankry cities, it is beyond debate -- sanctuary cities, it is beyond debate these sanctuary cities are violating current federal

7:53:48 to 7:54:09( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: law. they're taking federal law and they're saying too bad, we're not going to have anything to do with it. we're going to violate this federal law. we're not going to cooperate in any way with immigration enforcement. mr. president, my amendment simply says if you violate federal law, you're going to have to live by some consequences.

7:54:10 to 7:54:31( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: specifically, you're going to lose cops specific so if you want to do that, if you want to flaunt the law, if you want to violate federal law, there's going to be a meaningful consequence. you're going to lose community policing grants. mr. president, i believe this is very reasonable and very

7:54:32 to 7:54:54( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: necessary, because there are a number of sanctuary cities who, again, have made the affirmative public decision and that they're just going to flaunt and ignore and violate federal law; have nothing to do with the proper enforcement of federal immigration law and the necessary cooperation between

7:54:55 to 7:55:15( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: those federal agencies and local law enforcement. again, wants to make local law enforcement immigration enforcement. nobody wants to place on them some affirmative duty to do the work of federal immigration officers, which is significant. we're not trying to place that

7:55:16 to 7:55:38( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: additional burdenr some unfunded mandate on them. but existing federal law does say that you need to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. and you can't have an affirmative policy that when you arrest for a local charge, somebody who is in the country illegally, you just forget abo

7:55:39 to 7:56:00( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: that, turning your eye to it, never notify federal authorities. now, mr. president, tragically, this bad sanctuary city policy has had really tragic results. i'll just mention one such instance, and that was an instance involving an

7:56:01 to 7:56:21( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: alien, edwin ramos, currently being charged with three counts of murder in san francisco. that's because he shot and killed tony bologna, 48, and his two sons, michael 20 and matthew 16, after they were driving home from the family pick anymore last june.

7:56:22 to 7:56:47( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: apparently this dispute started after tony bologna blocked the gunman's car from completing the left turn. that was enough to merit apparently in ramos's mind getting out and unloading his

7:56:56 to 7:57:17( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: gun on bologna's car. ram moss was a member ofs-13 and has been previously charged with gang-related assault and attempted woman. ramos had been arrested at least three times before his triple murder. he was living illegally in the

7:57:18 to 7:57:39( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: u.s., no documentation of legal status, no temporary visa status. so why wasn't he deported when he was arrested, particularly on violent charges? because san francisco is a sanctuary city, because they made determination that established a policy of breaking federal law

7:57:40 to 7:58:05( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: and simply not having anything to do with immigration enforc that led directly to a triple murder of three innocent american citizens. this is just one tragic story. there are others. the bottom line is, mr. president, we have a federal law that should prevent that.

7:58:06 to 7:58:26( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: we need that law enforced and lived by jurisdictions. and this vitter amendment number 2630 will put some reasonable teeth behind enforcement and some meaningful consequence when local authorities simply choose to completely ignore and violate federal law.

7:58:27 to 7:58:50( Edit History Discussion )

David Vitter: i urge all of my colleagues to support this commonsense, reasonable amendment, and i mr. president, i wou the absence of a quorum. the presiding officer: the clerk will call the roll.