On Tuesday, Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) of the Senate Judiciary Committee presided over a hearing entitled, “Oversight of the Administration’s Misdirected Immigration Enforcement Policies: Examining the Impact on Public Safety and Honoring the Victims.”
During that hearing, Jim Steinle, whose daughter was recently killed by an undocumented citizen in San Francisco, California, testified about the devastating loss of his beloved daughter, Kate.
“The day she was killed we were walking arm and arm on Pier 14 in San Francisco, enjoying a wonderful day together,” Mr. Steinle recalled. “Suddenly a shot rang out, Kate fell, and looked at me and said, ‘Help me, Dad.’ Those were the last words I’ll ever hear from my daughter.”
“The alleged murderer is an undocumented immigrant who's been convicted of seven felonies in the US, and already deported five times,” he added. “Yet in March of this year, he was released from jail and allowed to stay here freely because of [legal] loopholes. It’s unbelievable to see so many innocent Americans that have been killed by undocumented immigrant felons in recent years. In fact, we’ve recently come across a statistic that says between 2010 and 2014, 121 criminals aliens — who had an active deportation case at the time of release – were subsequently charged with homicide-related offenses.”
Three other witnesses also testified about loved ones who were inexplicably and brutally murdered by illegal immigrants. Mrs. Oliver Sullivan spoke about how her husband, Deputy Sheriff Danny Oliver, was shot in the head — and killed — by an undocumented alien while on duty in Sacramento, California. She explained that a day doesn’t go by that she doesn’t think about him, and how his death was in all likelihood preventable. Mr. Brian McCann, meanwhile, testified that the convicted felon who murdered his brother, Dennis, was able to post bail and actually leave prison because of a failure in immigration policy. How could such a “pathetic, miscarriage of justice” be possible in the United States, he asked the panel of US senators?
Finally, and equally as heartbreaking, Ms. Laura Wilkinson recounted the unspeakable tragedy of when her son, Joshua, was tortured, killed, and left in a field to rot by a so-called DREAMer. She therefore called on members of Congress to start implementing immigrations laws that put Americans — not criminals — first. (Her son’s killer was sentenced to life in prison. But, as Ms. Wilkinson testified, she expects he will one day be granted parole and won’t be deported). Not surprisingly, she also believes that many wrongheaded, status quo immigration laws simply aren't working. She explained that the infamous sanctuary city policy, for instance, is “inviting” dangerous criminals into the country, thereby jeopardizing the national security interests and safety of American citizens. This misguided policy, she intimated, directly contributed to her son’s death.
“I don’t want your sympathy,” she declared. “I want you to do something about it."
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