A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION, Commending and thanking the men and women of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), urging Congress and the President to fund construction of steel barriers and border control impediments along with the strengthening of current border control infrastructure, and urging Congress and the President to ensure compliance with and enforcement of federal immigration laws.

    WHEREAS, the national security interests of the United States are dependent on the brave men and women who enforce our Nation's immigration laws; and

    WHEREAS, any call to abolish ICE is an insult to the heroic law enforcement officers who make sacrifices every day to secure our borders, enforce our laws, and protect our safety and security; and

    WHEREAS, the abolishment of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would mean open and uncontrolled borders through elimination of the main agency responsible for expelling people who enter or remain in our country unlawfully; and

    WHEREAS, the abolishment of ICE would permit dangerous criminal aliens, including

violent and ruthless members of the MS-13 gang, to enter and remain in American communities; and

    WHEREAS, during fiscal year 2017, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested more than 127,000 aliens with a history of criminal convictions or current charges; and

    WHEREAS, ICE ERO made 5,225 administrative arrests of suspected gang members in fiscal year 2017; and

    WHEREAS, criminal aliens arrested by ICE ERO in fiscal year 2017 were responsible for more than:

            (A)    76,000 dangerous drug offenses;

            (B)    48,000 assault offenses;

            (C)    11,000 weapon offenses;

            (D)    5,000 sexual assault offenses;

            (E)    2,000 kidnapping offenses; and

            (F)    1,800 homicide offenses; and

    WHEREAS, ICE Homeland Security Investigations made 4,818 gang-related arrests in fiscal year 2017; and

    WHEREAS, ICE identified or rescued 904 sexually exploited children and identified or rescued 518 victims of human trafficking; and

    WHEREAS, the abolishment of ICE would allow countless illegal aliens who pose a threat to public safety to roam freely on American soil with no fear of deportation; and

    WHEREAS, the abolishment of ICE would mean more dangerous illegal drugs would flow into our communities, causing more Americans to suffer needlessly; and

    WHEREAS, ICE plays a critical role in combating the drug crisis facing our Nation; and

    WHEREAS, ICE seized more than 980,000 pounds of narcotics in fiscal year 2017,

including thousands of pounds of the deadly drugs fueling the opioid crisis; and

    WHEREAS, ICE seized 2,370 pounds of fentanyl and 6,967 pounds of heroin in fiscal year 2017; and

    WHEREAS, ICE logged nearly 90,000 investigative hours to interrupt the flow of fentanyl in fiscal year 2017; and

    WHEREAS, the abolishment of ICE would cause our communities even more devastation from the free flow of these drugs; and

    WHEREAS, the abolishment of ICE would eliminate the agency that deports aliens who pose a terrorist threat to the United States; and

    WHEREAS, ICE was created in 2003 to protect national security and public safety after the revelation of how the 9/11 terrorists exploited immigration laws to gain entry into the United States; and

    WHEREAS, ICE is one of the first lines of defense against terrorists gaining access to inflict harm to citizens of the towns and cities in the United States; and

    WHEREAS, the abolishment of ICE would weaken United States defenses against terrorism and enable the hundreds of thousands of foreign nationals who illegally overstay a visa each year to remain in the United States indefinitely and with impunity; and

    WHEREAS, national security and law enforcement agencies have repeatedly identified the entire United States border with Mexico as a major national security concern; and

    WHEREAS, a 2018 National Border Patrol Council survey, of more than 600 agents in two of the Border Patrol's busiest sectors, resulted in 89 percent of line agents affirming a "wall system in strategic locations is necessary to securing the border"; and

    WHEREAS, the United States of America takes in more legal immigrants than any nation in the world. Those legal immigrants have overwhelmingly proven to be assets to the

communities they settle in, and South Dakotans welcome all races, religions, and creeds to our beloved state who immigrate legally to South Dakota to mix with and to add to our great American melting pot; and

    WHEREAS, existing federal immigration laws ardently and equally enforced honor the rich tradition of immigration and the rule of law upon which the American Republic was founded; and

    WHEREAS, it is the duty and responsibility of the federal government to protect national borders and secure the sovereignty of the United States of America as well as to enforce immigration and employment laws for the protection of American citizens; and

    WHEREAS, the enforcement of existing federal immigration laws, especially those regarding national security, immigration, and employment are necessary for the preservation of the sovereignty of this nation and the well-being of the American people:

    NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, by the Senate of the Ninety-Fourth Legislature of the State of South Dakota, the House of Representatives concurring therein, that the South Dakota Legislature commends and thanks the brave men and women of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and encourages them to continue their diligent and steadfast service to the citizens of our nation; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the South Dakota Legislature urges Congress and the President of the United States to immediately provide for the security of our nation by controlling and securing our national borders with appropriate legislation to fund the construction of steel barriers and border control impediments along with the strengthening of current border control infrastructure; and

    BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the South Dakota Legislature urges Congress and the President of the United States to immediately provide for the security of our nation through the

ardent and equal enforcement of our existing federal immigration laws.