Press Releases

U.S. Representative Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA) today introduced the Empowering Law Enforcement Act to provide backup to federal immigration enforcement officials hamstrung by the Biden Administration.
 
If enacted, Carter’s proposal would grant state and local law enforcement inherent immigration enforcement authority to investigate, identify, apprehend, arrest, detain or transfer a migrant that has entered the U.S. illegally.
 
“Federal immigration enforcement has been stretched to the brink by Biden’s border crisis,” Carter said. “We now know as many as 50,000 illegal immigrants have been released into our country without so much as a court date. I’ve been to the border and seen these threats we face first-hand, but this has gotten out of control it’s turned every state into a border state. If the Biden Administration insists on handcuffing our border protection and immigration enforcement officers, then we must give state and local law enforcement the ability to keep our communities safe. The Empowering Law Enforcement Act will do just that and help remedy this crisis.”
 
Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), who introduced companion legislation in the Senate echoed Carter’s concerns.
 
“If the Biden Administration is insistent on taking away ICE’s ability to enforce our immigration laws, then we should make sure our state and local law enforcement has the authority to respond to the influx of illegal migrants in our communities,” said Sen. Tuberville. “The Empowering Law Enforcement Act takes a twofold approach to address the intentional enforcement gap created by President Biden’s open border policies: first, by giving state and local officers the ability to enforce immigration laws when federal offices are prohibited from doing so, and second, by extending the detention period for dangerous criminal aliens while their removals are processed. The Biden Administration has failed our law enforcement at the expense of American communities, and this bill will remedy that moving forward.”
 
Specifically, Carter’s Empowering Law Enforcement Act would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to:
 
Delegate immigration enforcement authority to state and local law enforcement entities, including the ability to investigate, identify, apprehend, arrest, detain, or transfer an alien into Federal custody.
Permit the Secretary of Homeland Security to extend the detention period past the current 180-day timeline for violent criminal aliens.
Ensure that illegal migrants are detained in federal custody upon state or local law enforcement request.
Reimburse state or local authorities for related incarceration and transportation costs.
Promote immigration information sharing between DHS and FBI for the benefit of state and local law enforcement.
 
Carter has visited the border four times as a member of Congress, including twice this year, to understand the struggles the nation faces. He’s called for a return to Trump-era policies of completing the border wall, reinstituting the “Remain in Mexico” policy, and fully reinstituting Title 42 health expulsions to protect public health. In May, he introduced legislation to bar federal assistance to states that provide taxpayer-funded benefits to illegal immigrants.
 
Among those joining Carter in introducing the House version of the legislation are Rs Bruce Westerman (R-AR), Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), Yvette Herrell (R-NM), Bob Gibbs (R-OH), Mo Brooks (R-AL), Tedd Budd (R-NC), Kat Cammack (R-FL), Randy Weber (R-TX), Madison Cawthorn (R-NC), and David Kustoff (R-TN).