Lawmaker takes aim at illegal immigrant protesters on Capitol Hill

By Susan Ferrechio, Susan Ferrechio

Published December 20, 2015

Rep. Steve King wants to give U.S. Capitol Police the authority to enforce federal immigration laws on Capitol Hill, where illegal immigrants have staged protests, demonstrations and sit-ins over the past few years in a bid to push lawmakers into passing bills that would give them with path to citizenship or legalization.

King, R-Iowa, is a staunch opponent of immigration reform that provides a pathway to citizenship for the millions of people who live here illegally, and he wants Capitol Police to have the power to arrest illegals.

"The Capitol Police, a federal law enforcement agency, do not have explicit statutory authority to enforce our immigration laws," King said in a statement. "Without clear authority they are not investigating the immigration status of protesters openly claiming they are here illegally while disrupting Committee proceedings and shutting down Congressional offices."

The Capitol Police did not respond to a request for a comment on the proposal.