Mr. JONES of North Carolina. Mr. Speaker, I would like to bring to the attention of the House the issue of illegal alien crime.
As many of my colleagues are aware, over the past year crimes committed by illegal aliens have been at the forefront of our national media.
In Los Angeles, an illegal alien has been charged with the March 2008 murder of a young athlete and scholar, Jamiel Shaw. Shaw was gunned down outside his home in a senseless act of violence.
In New Jersey, an illegal alien has been charged with the August 2007 execution-style slaying of three New York college students and the shooting of another. This illegal alien suspect was previously granted bail on child rape and aggravated assault charges.
And in my home State of North Carolina, an illegal alien has been charged with second degree murder for driving drunk and killing a 22-year-old man in a car crash over last fall's Thanksgiving holiday.
While crimes like these are occurring all over the country, the public has no way of knowing the extent of the problem. This is because the Federal Government and the States do not report statistical information on criminal alien crimes. It is for this reason I have introduced H.R. 6192, the Illegal Alien Crime Reporting Act.
Last week, I sent a Dear Colleague letter to every Member of the House to inform them of this legislation. The bill would require States to submit in-depth statistics on illegal alien criminal activity in order to receive funding from the Department of Homeland Security. It would also require all Federal agencies to submit data on criminal activity by illegal aliens. And lastly, the bill would require the FBI to compile this information and produce an annual publication similar to its existing Uniform Crime Report with detailed statistics on illegal alien crimes.
Mr. Speaker, nothing is more important than the security of our Nation and the safety of our citizens. I hope that my colleagues will take the time to consider the issue of illegal alien crime and join us as a cosponsor of the Illegal Alien Crime Reporting Act.
