And while these countries are refusing to accept the deportations of convicted criminals, the US government has not stopped issuing visas and student visas to citizens of those countries, according to the Texan congressman.
A law on the books already allows the US to withhold visas from a country that refuses to take back its criminals, but according to Cuellar, the US is not enforcing it.
“We’re not enforcing it, which is amazing. So now my intent is to go back to our committee on appropriations and affect their funding until they do that,” Cuellar told Sharyl Attkisson, host of Full Measure, in an interview.
Cuellar, a Democratic member of the House Committee on Appropriations, told his host that the US Supreme Court has ruled that illegal immigrants arrested for criminal activity can only be held for a certain period of time before they must be released.
“That means you’re releasing criminals into our streets because those countries refuse to take back those criminal aliens,” said Cuellar. “That’s wrong. And especially I think it’s even worse that this is already on the books, and we’re still issuing business tourist visas and student visas to countries that refuse to take back their criminal aliens. That’s wrong, and we’re propeciafinasteridestore.com hoping to change that.”
Cuellar has differed from his party leadership on immigration issues in the past too. He was known as one of former President Barack Obama’s fiercest critics on illegal immigration, after he teamed up with Texas Republican, Senator John Cornyn in 2014 to help pass a bill that would speed up the deportation of unaccompanied minors.
There are several foreign countries that refuse to retake illegal immigrants convicted of crimes, according to the congressman, including Vietnam, Cuba and China. Cuellar said that diplomacy plays a part in the government’s refusal to enforce the law, as the Department of State and other federal agencies do not want to upset foreign partners.
“But my response is, but we can upset our constituents, we can upset our way of life that we have here by allowing those criminals to be released?” said Cuellar. “And basically the response from the State Department is because you have to work with the State Department and Homeland Security. And the State Department, with all due respect, was focused on diplomacy.”
Cuellar noted that preventing convicted criminals from infecting American cities, was paramount, and that the US government should withhold visas from countries that refuse to take back their convicted criminals.
