Plan to remove illegal migrants with felonies voted down

Senate Democrats Reject Proposal Requiring Coordination with Federal Authorities to Remove Illegal Immigrants Convicted of Felonies with Victims
By Oregon Senate Republican Caucus,

SALEM, Ore. – A simple proposal that would have allowed state law enforcement and the Oregon Department of Corrections to coordinate with federal immigration authorities when an illegal immigrant is convicted of a felony crime involving a named victim was rejected today by every Senate Democrat.

The Republican minority report to House Bill 4111 was intentionally written to be even narrower than a proposal rejected by Senate Democrats last week. It would have left House Bill 4111 fully intact but added a straightforward public safety provision allowing federal authorities to determine whether to take custody of individuals convicted of felony crimes for which a victim was specifically named in the indictment after their sentences are served, rather than releasing them back into Oregon communities.

“This proposal applied only to convicted felons who have a named victim, meaning an Oregonian suffered a felony crime. Are we really saying we’d rather release these individuals into our communities instead of allowing federal authorities to take action? That makes no sense,” said Senator Mike McLane (R-Powell Butte), a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee who carried the Minority Report on the Senate floor.