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SCREEN CAPTURE / YOUTUBE
Homeland Security Secretary defends immigration policy during House hearings last week. |
AS HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY KIRSTJEN NIELSEN underwent sometimes rancorous grilling from members of Congress over immigration policy, 53 members of Congress expressed their dismay over the recent deportations of Southeast Asians.
But while Nielsen had good reason to expect tough questions, she seemed unprepared to deal with them.
Nielsen was bashed for the Trump administration's "zero-tolerance" policy that led to thousands of family separations over the summer, its handling of the migrant caravan, the death of a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl in Border Patrol custody, and a policy announced during the middle of Thursday’s hearing that bars asylum-seekers from entering the U.S.
At one point, Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., stormed out of the meeting after calling her a liar.
“Shame on everybody that separates children, that allows them to stay at the other side of the border fearing death, fearing hunger, fearing sickness,” Gutierrez said angrily. “Shame on us for wearing our badge of Christianity during Christmas and allow the secretary to come here and lie.”
Nielsen responded: "Calling me a liar are fighting words. I'm not a liar. We've never had a policy for family separation."
Nielsen was bashed for the Trump administration's "zero-tolerance" policy that led to thousands of family separations over the summer, its handling of the migrant caravan, the death of a 7-year-old Guatemalan girl in Border Patrol custody, and a policy announced during the middle of Thursday’s hearing that bars asylum-seekers from entering the U.S.
At one point, Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., stormed out of the meeting after calling her a liar.
“Shame on everybody that separates children, that allows them to stay at the other side of the border fearing death, fearing hunger, fearing sickness,” Gutierrez said angrily. “Shame on us for wearing our badge of Christianity during Christmas and allow the secretary to come here and lie.”
Nielsen responded: "Calling me a liar are fighting words. I'm not a liar. We've never had a policy for family separation."
Later, Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) asked Nielsen if she was “aware” of a plethora of research indicating the likelihood that immigrants,are less likely to commit crimes than native-born Americans — a fact that contradicts Trump's main argument to limit immigrantion and those seeking asylum.
“I have not seen those particular studies,” replied Nielsen.
“It’d be helpful if you start putting in some basic facts about the actual facts related to immigrants and crime,” Lieu replied.
Lieu cited a 2015 study by the nonpartisan Cato Institute titled “Immigration and Crime — What the Research Says.” It found that “roughly 1.6 percent of immigrant males 18–39 are incarcerated, compared to 3.3 percent of the native-born,” and concluded that “the weight of the evidence suggests that immigration is not associated with increased levels of crime. To the extent that a relationship does exist, research often finds a negative effect of immigration on levels of crime, in general, and on homicide in particular.”
“It’d be helpful if you start putting in some basic facts about the actual facts related to immigrants and crime,” Lieu replied.
Lieu cited a 2015 study by the nonpartisan Cato Institute titled “Immigration and Crime — What the Research Says.” It found that “roughly 1.6 percent of immigrant males 18–39 are incarcerated, compared to 3.3 percent of the native-born,” and concluded that “the weight of the evidence suggests that immigration is not associated with increased levels of crime. To the extent that a relationship does exist, research often finds a negative effect of immigration on levels of crime, in general, and on homicide in particular.”
Prior to the hearing, Rep. Judy Chu, D-CA, Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-WA, CAPAC Immigration Task Force Chair, led 53 Congress members in sending a letter to Nielsen demanding an end to the detention and deportation of Southeast Asian refugees and families.
“We are concerned that the recent retaliatory visa sanctions from the Trump Administration pressuring Cambodia and Laos to accept deported people have propelled these mass detentions and deportations. Additionally, we are also concerned that the Administration’s reinterpretation of the 2008 bilateral agreement between the United States and Vietnam will also lead to increased detentions and deportations of Vietnamese Americans,” said the letter.
“It is troubling to see Southeast Asian American families being targeted at unprecedented levels. We urge you to reexamine policies on the arbitrary detention and deportation of Southeast Asian Americans who prove no threat to public safety, are interwoven into our communities, and support U.S. citizen families. We urge you to use prosecutorial discretion to ensure that our finite resources are not being wasted to tear families apart and deport individuals who have transformed their lives after serving their sentences,” the letter "continued.
“We are concerned that the recent retaliatory visa sanctions from the Trump Administration pressuring Cambodia and Laos to accept deported people have propelled these mass detentions and deportations. Additionally, we are also concerned that the Administration’s reinterpretation of the 2008 bilateral agreement between the United States and Vietnam will also lead to increased detentions and deportations of Vietnamese Americans,” said the letter.
“It is troubling to see Southeast Asian American families being targeted at unprecedented levels. We urge you to reexamine policies on the arbitrary detention and deportation of Southeast Asian Americans who prove no threat to public safety, are interwoven into our communities, and support U.S. citizen families. We urge you to use prosecutorial discretion to ensure that our finite resources are not being wasted to tear families apart and deport individuals who have transformed their lives after serving their sentences,” the letter "continued.
Further, we request that you set up a briefing on your discussions with Vietnam, in particular to provide information on any deal with Vietnam to accept deported refugees," said the Congress members.
The letter was sent days after 36 Cambodian Americans were deported to Cambodia from a detention center in Texas. Most of them had criminal records and served time behind bars for as minor an infraction ad a DUI.
"Upon arrival into the United States, many were resettled into struggling neighborhoods. Still coping with significant trauma from the war, some of these refugees made mistakes as teenagers and young adults and were funneled into the criminal justice system. All of them served their time, and the majority transformed their lives to become productive community members, business owners, and loving parents supporting their U.S citizen families," the letter explained.
Read the full letter below:
Read the full letter below:
December 19, 2018
The Honorable Kirstjen M. Nielsen
Secretary
Department of Homeland Security
3801 Nebraska Ave. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20528
Dear Secretary Nielsen:
We write to express our deep concern about the detention and deportation of Southeast Asian refugees from Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. In recent years, we have seen a spike in the arbitrary detention and removal of lawful permanent residents who came to the United States as refugees fleeing the violence and genocide from the Vietnam War and the Khmer Rouge genocide. We urge you to cease detentions and deportations of refugees from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam.
Many of those impacted were born in refugee camps and have never set foot in the countries to which U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is trying to remove them. Upon arrival into the United States, many were resettled into struggling neighborhoods. Still coping with significant trauma from the war, some of these refugees made mistakes as teenagers and young adults and were funneled into the criminal justice system. All of them served their time, and the majority transformed their lives to become productive community members, business owners, and loving parents supporting their U.S citizen families. They have checked in dutifully with ICE, some for decades, only now to be suddenly arrested, detained, and deported.
We are concerned that the recent retaliatory visa sanctions from the Trump Administration pressuring Cambodia and Laos to accept deported people have propelled these mass detentions and deportations. Additionally, we are also concerned that the Administration’s reinterpretation of the 2008 bilateral agreement between the United States and Vietnam will also lead to increased detentions and deportations of Vietnamese Americans.[1] The biggest round up of Cambodian and Vietnamese immigrants for deportation took place in 2017.[2]Cambodia is currently on target to see record-breaking deportation numbers in 2018.[3]
It is troubling to see Southeast Asian American families being targeted at unprecedented levels. We urge you to reexamine policies on the arbitrary detention and deportation of Southeast Asian Americans who prove no threat to public safety, are interwoven into our communities, and support U.S. citizen families. We urge you to use prosecutorial discretion to ensure that our finite resources are not being wasted to tear families apart and deport individuals who have transformed their lives after serving their sentences. Further, we request that you set up a briefing on your discussions with Vietnam, in particular to provide information on any deal with Vietnam to accept deported refugees.
Thank you for your attention to this matter. Please contact [our staff] to set up a briefing to address these questions no later than December 27, 2018.
Sincerely,
(sgd) 53 Members of the House of Representatives
______________________________________________________________________________
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