Discussion · Senate
Jim Banks Republican
“I oppose this bill. It stops immigration officers from arresting people near school bus stops. Criminals who are in the country illegally will hide at bus stops to avoid arrest. Officers must be able to do their jobs anywhere to keep people safe.”
“Mr. President, reserving the right to object, this is just another attempt after many other attempts by Democrats to stop ICE from doing their job and enforcing our immigration laws. As you are seeing today, Democrats will do anything that they can to stop ICE, our men and women who are in Federal law enforcement, from securing our Nation and keeping families safe. In my State of Indiana just over this last weekend, an illegal with an ICE detainer, drunk and behind the wheel of a vehicle, killed an innocent 33-year-old woman, Tamara Thomas, who was walking near a gas station in downtown Indianapolis. Tamara, unfortunately, is not the first Hoosier who lost her life because of an illegal immigration crisis in this country. In February, an illegal ran a red light and killed 64-year-old Terry Schultz in Avon, IN, and in the same month, an illegal semitruck driver who entered our country using Joe Biden’s CBP One app swerved into oncoming traffic and killed four Amish men near my hometown in Jay County in Northern Indiana. A couple of months ago, Indianapolis police arrested an illegal from Mexico who now faces 30 separate charges, including rape, sexual assault, and kidnapping; and this illegal came into our country under the Biden administration. Last year, a 35-year-old illegal who was living in Indianapolis was sentenced to 35 years in prison after he sexually exploited and abused a 15-year-old girl. Hoosiers are going to keep getting killed and harmed by illegals unless we let ICE officers do their job. The madness has to end, and it needs to end right now. We need to support our ICE officers. ICE needs to be allowed to do their job without Democrats getting in their way. I have been in the Senate for 2 years, and over and over again, the Democrats have tried to obstruct ICE from doing their job. This bill that I am about to object to today will prohibit ICE from operating near schoolbus stops, but we know that illegal aliens are often at or near bus stops. So here is the deal, in Virginia last year, ICE arrested a 36-year- old illegal alien from Mexico, a convicted pedophile who exposed himself to a child at a schoolbus stop. How can anyone hear a story like that and think that the answer is to block ICE officers from doing their job at a schoolbus stop? If we prohibit ICE from operating at schoolbus stops, you know what will happen; we will just create sanctuary schoolbus stops. All the illegals, the criminals, the pedophiles will end up at schoolbus stops because they know they will be protected there. All those illegals in this country--they will hide out at bus stops. And knowing that ICE won’t be allowed to touch them, you will see more stories like what you saw happened in Virginia last year. It is just crazy to me to think that we would prevent ICE officers from going wherever they need to go to do their job, even if that means at a bus stop, in those rare--very rare--circumstances and occasions. ICE needs to be allowed to operate wherever the job takes them, especially at places where illegal aliens can harm our children. Look, ICE is not the enemy. Democrats are trying to make our ICE officers out to be the enemy, and they are not. Just a couple of weeks ago, ICE conducted a 5-day operation in my home State, which resulted in the arrest of 426 illegals. These criminals included people who were charged with robberies, drug trafficking, sex crimes, and more. ICE also arrested an illegal from Guatemala who illegally voted in national elections in Indiana. The Democrats all say that never happens, but they arrested an illegal just a few weeks ago in Indiana who did that. So here we go again with another attempt by Democrats to obstruct our Federal law enforcement. Instead of giving ICE more resources to do the job that they need to do--not less--instead of doing anything that we can to deport illegals from our country, Democrats are here asking for unanimous consent to tie ICE’s hands behind their backs and prevent them from doing their job. I won’t let that happen. That is why I came to the floor today. ICE needs to be allowed to enforce the law and do their job, and for that reason, I object.”
Mr. President, reserving the right to object, this is just another attempt after many other attempts by Democrats to stop ICE from doing their job and enforcing our immigration laws. As you are seeing today, Democrats will do anything that they can to stop ICE, our men and women who are in Federal law enforcement, from securing our Nation and keeping families safe. In my State of Indiana just over this last weekend, an illegal with an ICE detainer, drunk and behind the wheel of a vehicle, killed an innocent 33-year-old woman, Tamara Thomas, who was walking near a gas station in downtown Indianapolis. Tamara, unfortunately, is not the first Hoosier who lost her life because of an illegal immigration crisis in this country. In February, an illegal ran a red light and killed 64-year-old Terry Schultz in Avon, IN, and in the same month, an illegal semitruck driver who entered our country using Joe Biden’s CBP One app swerved into oncoming traffic and killed four Amish men near my hometown in Jay County in Northern Indiana. A couple of months ago, Indianapolis police arrested an illegal from Mexico who now faces 30 separate charges, including rape, sexual assault, and kidnapping; and this illegal came into our country under the Biden administration. Last year, a 35-year-old illegal who was living in Indianapolis was sentenced to 35 years in prison after he sexually exploited and abused a 15-year-old girl. Hoosiers are going to keep getting killed and harmed by illegals unless we let ICE officers do their job. The madness has to end, and it needs to end right now. We need to support our ICE officers. ICE needs to be allowed to do their job without Democrats getting in their way. I have been in the Senate for 2 years, and over and over again, the Democrats have tried to obstruct ICE from doing their job. This bill that I am about to object to today will prohibit ICE from operating near schoolbus stops, but we know that illegal aliens are often at or near bus stops. So here is the deal, in Virginia last year, ICE arrested a 36-year- old illegal alien from Mexico, a convicted pedophile who exposed himself to a child at a schoolbus stop. How can anyone hear a story like that and think that the answer is to block ICE officers from doing their job at a schoolbus stop? If we prohibit ICE from operating at schoolbus stops, you know what will happen; we will just create sanctuary schoolbus stops. All the illegals, the criminals, the pedophiles will end up at schoolbus stops because they know they will be protected there. All those illegals in this country--they will hide out at bus stops. And knowing that ICE won’t be allowed to touch them, you will see more stories like what you saw happened in Virginia last year. It is just crazy to me to think that we would prevent ICE officers from going wherever they need to go to do their job, even if that means at a bus stop, in those rare--very rare--circumstances and occasions. ICE needs to be allowed to operate wherever the job takes them, especially at places where illegal aliens can harm our children. Look, ICE is not the enemy. Democrats are trying to make our ICE officers out to be the enemy, and they are not. Just a couple of weeks ago, ICE conducted a 5-day operation in my home State, which resulted in the arrest of 426 illegals. These criminals included people who were charged with robberies, drug trafficking, sex crimes, and more. ICE also arrested an illegal from Guatemala who illegally voted in national elections in Indiana. The Democrats all say that never happens, but they arrested an illegal just a few weeks ago in Indiana who did that. So here we go again with another attempt by Democrats to obstruct our Federal law enforcement. Instead of giving ICE more resources to do the job that they need to do--not less--instead of doing anything that we can to deport illegals from our country, Democrats are here asking for unanimous consent to tie ICE’s hands behind their backs and prevent them from doing their job. I won’t let that happen. That is why I came to the floor today. ICE needs to be allowed to enforce the law and do their job, and for that reason, I object.