ICE agents: Strengthen enforcement measures in Senate immigration bill
The Hill
A union representing immigration and custom enforcement agents has raised concerns that Senate Republicans are not doing enough to strengthen enforcement provisions in the pending immigration bill.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who helped draft the immigration legislation, and Senate Republican Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) are leading the Republican effort to strengthen its border security and enforcement provisions.
The National Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Council, a union representing 7,600 officers and agents, has sent a letter to Rubio and Cornyn raising concerns that their proposals do not do enough to empower law enforcement officials to do their jobs.
“I am concerned that the public commentary to date regarding your amendments has not included any mention of repairing ICE’s dismantled enforcement authorities and practices,” wrote Chris Crane, president of the National ICE Council.
Crane warned the enforcement provisions of the immigration bill would be “doomed to fail” if it “does not empower ICE agents to enforce the laws.”