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Rep. Diane Black

Mr. Speaker, I am here today to talk about my bill, H.R. 3842, a bill that would prohibit the Obama administration from filing lawsuits against Arizona, South Carolina, Alabama, and other States over their immigration enforcement laws. In the last 3 years, eight States have adopted immigration enforcement measures to address the illegal alien populations in their States. And in response, the Department of Justice and Eric Holder have pursued unprecedented lawsuits against these States.

Mr. Speaker, there are over 10 million unauthorized aliens in this country. States must be able to enforce the law if the Federal Government refuses to, and States should not have to live in fear of Federal retribution for trying to keep their citizens safe.

My bill, H.R. 3842, would deny the Obama administration and Eric Holder the funding for these meritless lawsuits. Until the Supreme Court decides the case against Arizona's S.B. 1070, Congress must use our power of the purse to stop these political lawsuits and allow States to uphold the law.