Sheriffs from all over the country converged on Capitol Hill today in order to protest President Obama's executive amnesty. During the event, the sheriffs called on Congress to defund the president's amnesty, asked for support to enforce the laws on the books, and discussed the effects of illegal immigration on their communities.
"I represent the Sheriffs’ Association of Texas here. What we’re facing in Texas and in this nation is a large ‘Welcome’ sign and a saloon-door mentality on our border… We do not support this amnesty. We cannot support this amnesty. The sheriffs in this country stand united and unified against this type of illegal situation that’s going on. And we would ask for everyone to unite behind us as we give everything we can to try to get this country back the way it should be."
Sheriff Andy Louderback
Jackson County, Texas
President—Texas Sheriff’s Association
Western Sheriffs Association
"You ask, why am I here? Because what we see in Frederick County, Maryland, are the same problems that the border county sheriffs see. We see human trafficking, we see an insurgence of heroin, we see transnational criminal gang members coming into our communities, committing crimes, harming our citizens, and breaking the law by every means possible."
Sheriff Chuck Jenkins
Frederick County, Maryland
Maryland Sheriff’s Association
"For you and I as American citizens, when it comes to law enforcement, the law applies to you and I, yet when it comes to immigration, there is no law, because there are no consequences. It’s something that we in law enforcement have to deal with, have to fight. And we want this Congress to stand up with Sen. Sessions and Sen. Vitter and other leaders in the House and Senate, and as a lawmaking body—stand up and stop the President from [carrying out] this executive amnesty that he’s taken. We want the focus to be, instead of putting illegals first and their rights, what about putting Americans and our rights and our security, [for] once, first? Put our security first. And that should be driving this debate that nobody should disagree with."
Sheriff Paul Babeu
Pinal County, Arizona
President—Arizona Sheriff’s Association
Board of Directors—National Sheriffs Association
Board of Directors—Arizona Police Association
2011 National Sheriffs Selection for Sheriff of the Year
Several members of Congress also spoke at the event.
"Three weeks ago, the President issued an executive order nullifying the federal immigration laws of the United States,” Sessions said. “President Obama’s executive amnesty gives 5 million illegal immigrants. It provides work permits, photo ID’s, Social Security, Medicare, and free tax credits – taking jobs and benefits directly from struggling Americans and lawful immigrants… These Sheriffs are here to tell you how the President’s illegal amnesty devastates American communities and law enforcement. So I have a message today to every leader in Congress, to every official in the White House, and to President Obama: we are going to fight this illegal amnesty and we are not going to stop,” Sessions declared. “We are going to carry out the mission the voters sent us here to do. We are not going to give in. We are not going to yield. We are going to stand strong for the American people."
Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.)
"This is exactly the wrong policy because it is rewarding illegal crossings, and when you reward something, you get more of it. This is going to make this problem much worse. It is flat-out unconstitutional."
Senator David Vitter (R-La.)
"When we can’t secure our borders, something interesting happens in our country. Every state becomes a border state and every town becomes a border town."
Representative Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.)
