{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://web.archive.org/web/20140221085039/http://black.house.gov/press-release/black-introduces-legislation-permanently-eliminate-illegal-alien-lobbyist-position-ice", "Black Introduces Legislation to Permanently Eliminate Illegal Alien Lobbyist Position at ICE", "2013-12-17", "2013", "2013-12", "Republican", "House", "TN", "Diane Black", "B001273", "web.archive.org", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013\u00a0Congressman Diane Black (R-TN-06) has introduced H.R. 3732, the Immigration Compliance Enforcement (ICE) Act. Last March, President Obama signed into law the Consolidated and Continuing Appropriations Act of 2013, which contained language to defund the illegal alien lobbyist position within U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) (Sec. 567 here). This \u201cPublic Advocate\u201d acted as a lobbyist for illegal aliens by serving as a special point of contact for those who had flouted our nation\u2019s immigration laws.\nDespite the House and Senate passing language to defund this position and stop this waste of precious taxpayer dollars, and the President signing it into law, ICE simply rebranded the office as \u201cCommunity Outreach\u201d and allowed its employees to continue their activities as before. This complete disregard for the law was reported on by multiple news outlets and federal watchdogs, such as Fox News and Judicial Watch. In the face of this backlash, ICE has continued to shamelessly operate as if it has done nothing wrong.\n\u201cIt is an outrage that federal bureaucrats think they can simply skirt the law, in essence ignoring the will of the people by playing a shell game and hiding ICE employees and activities with a mere title change,\u201d said Congressman Black. \u201cTo stop this blatant abuse of power, I have introduced H.R. 3732, the Immigration Compliance Enforcement (ICE) Act. This bill would defund both positions and prohibit the creation of any new position within ICE that would allow the agency to ignore the law and continue its pro-illegal immigration activities. It is of utmost importance that ICE be held accountable and be required to follow the spirit of the law, not just the letter.\u201d\nDespite formal inquiries and letters, Congressman Black has received no response from ICE as to the nature of this position change. She has also demanded information about the operations of this position under the Freedom of Information Act.\nFor text of this legislation, click here.\nAdditional Resources: \n06/07/12: House Passes Black\u2019s Amendment to Prohibit Funding for Illegal Alien Lobbyist\n09/23/13: Black Letter to ICE Demands Answers on the Defunded \u201cPublic Advocate\u201d Position\n12/16/13: Congressman Black\u2019s FOIA Request\n\u00a0\n###\nCongressman Diane Black represents Tennessee\u2019s 6th Congressional District. She has been a registered nurse for more than 40 years and serves on the House Ways and Means and Budget Committees.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://web.archive.org/web/20140221085039/http://black.house.gov/press-release/black-introduces-legislation-permanently-eliminate-illegal-alien-lobbyist-position-ice"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.9809668883681297, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}