Dem Lawmakers:Americans Killed by Drunk-Driving Illegal Aliens Doesn’t Justify Law to Check Legal Status
Despite testimony from a man whose brother was killed by an illegal alien who was driving drunk and had five previous DWI arrests, Democrats spoke out against legislation that would allow arresting officers to check the legal status of aliens and transfer confirmed illegal immigrants into federal custody. Wednesday’s hearing of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement focused on the Scott Gardner Act, sponsored by Rep. Sue Myrick (R-N.C.), who testified on the first panel.
The bill is named after a University of North Carolina student, Scott Gardner, who was run over by Jorge Humberto Hernandez-Soto, an illegal alien who was driving drunk and who had been returned to Mexico 17 times before he killed the young college student, according to a 2005 article about the incident in the Charlotte Observer.
“By directing state officers to treat people differently based upon their perceived alienage, the bill would essentially become a national version of the Arizona and Alabama immigration laws, inviting widespread racial profiling and discrimination in violation of the Constitution,” Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), the ranking Democratic member, said at Wednesday’s hearing.
In support of her argument, Lofgren cited a Supreme Court ruling against a provision of the Brady Act, which required state officers to perform a federal background check on prospective gun buyers.
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