CHAIRMAN BECERRA: DON’T TAKE THE DONALD TRUMP BAIT TO PUNISH LOCAL COMMUNITIES

WASHINGTON, D.C. – July 27, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Congressman Xavier Becerra (CA-34), Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, spoke on the House Floor in opposition to H.R. 3009 — a counterproductive anti-immigrant bill that would deny funding to local law enforcement, following the tragic death of Kathryn Steinle in San Francisco.  Click here to watch the video of his remarks:

“The man who killed Katherine Steinle should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. Perhaps more importantly, the officials who released the person who killed her, released this man from custody, dropped the ball. They should be held accountable. But this bill punishes the police in my city of Los Angeles, the policy in the city of Knoxville, the police in Manchester, New Hampshire.

“It punishes police that had nothing to do with the crime that occurred in San Francisco. It takes away from money in the police department in Los Angeles, in Knoxville, in Manchester, when we need to put people and police on the streets to protect all of us.  But this would deprive our cities of monies that we have earned because we paid our taxes.

“The proponents of this bill say that our cities are violating the law. If we are violating the law, name the law that we are violating. We are not violating any law.

“Don’t take the Donald Trump bait. Don’t punish others for the crime of someone else. In our country, you go after the person who is criminally liable.  Go after that individual and lock him up forever. But don’t tell the police in Los Angeles or in Manchester or in Knoxville, Tennessee, and all the other cities that are trying to have a working relationship between their police and their growing immigrant communities that they won’t be able to collaborate so we can go after the criminals.

“You’re taking money away from L.A., even though this crime did not happen in my city. And you’re telling my police department and the men and women in uniform in L.A. that they will have fewer officers by their side because you’re going to take money away. Go after the folks that are accountable.

“This is not the way we do justice in America. And it is wrong. It is wrong for you to tell all these communities that have established a working relationship between their police officers and their growing immigrant communities that they’re going to now lose funds to hire more police officers. That’s the Donald Trump bait. Don’t take it. Let’s vote this down.”