Testimony presented to the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday highlighted the impact that some “soft on crime” policies have had on ordinary Americans, from violent street attacks to a lingering fentanyl epidemic.
“Journalists and politicians love to repeat the statistics that immigrants commit lower crime rates than Americans,” Amanda Keefer, the victim of an attack by an illegal immigrant in San Francisco, told the assembled lawmakers.
“Even if it wasn't rigged, I think that's irrelevant,” Kiefer said. “If we let in one more criminal, that's one too many. We already have enough criminals in this country, and we do very little to stop them from committing more crimes.”
In 2008, Kiefer was with a group of friends when 20-year-old Alexander Izaguirre stole her purse and tried to run her over with a waiting SUV, fracturing her skull.
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Izaguirre was in the country illegally and had been arrested on drug charges months before the attack, but he was free thanks to a program started by then-District Attorney Kamala Harris that allows nonviolent offenders to avoid prison by receiving job training and having their criminal records expunged.
Vice President Kamala Harris during a debate at the National Constitution Center, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Philadelphia. (Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Testifying Wednesday at the “Consequences of Soft on Crime” hearing, Keefer sharply criticized the policies that put people like Izaguirre back on the streets and accused responsible politicians of “clinging to the Marxist principle that criminals are simply victims of capitalism and that if you somehow give them jobs or assistance, their propensity for violent crime will disappear.”
“Anti-bail laws, delayed sentencing and the leniency of identity politics put violent people back on the streets to harm others,” Keefer said. “They have no fear of getting caught and no reason to stop committing crimes.”
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“In the summer of 2020, our Vice President encouraged cuts to police budgets and support bail funds to free violent repeat offenders from prison, many of whom have since committed horrific crimes.”
Kiefer expressed concern about a “backlog of sexual assault kits” and a “vulnerable border,” arguing that many victims of violent crimes could be spared.
Rep. Jerry Nadler speaks on the House floor on January 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
“This is shocking,” Kiefer said. “It's unfair. It's heartbreaking. The American people need to stop putting up with it. No one is taking responsibility for failing to keep the American people safe.”
The committee's ranking member, Rep. Jerry Nadler of New York, argued that “it is important to hear from crime victims and those affected” but that Wednesday's hearing “was in no way intended to disguise the purpose of this hearing, which was to attack the growing popularity of Vice President Harris and Governor Walz.”
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Nadler sought to distance Keefer's ordeal from broader condemnation of similar policies and programs.
“Of course, no crime prevention or crime reform strategy is perfect, and there will always be people who find loopholes and continue to violate the law,” Nadler said. “That is what happened to Ms. Kiefer, a participant in the Back on Tracks program in San Francisco in 2008, when an individual snatched her purse.”
Rep. Andy Biggs spoke to reporters at the Capitol on July 31, 2023.
“Then-District Attorney Harris discovered that this system was mistakenly admitting illegal immigrants who were ineligible for U.S. jobs and quickly closed that loophole,” Nadler said.
Nadler also came under fire for appearing to close his eyes and bow his head during congressional testimony on Tuesday about the impact of immigrant crime on victim families, drawing criticism that Democratic leaders were not taking the issue seriously and were disrespecting those offering condolences.
But Republican Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona said, “If Democrats achieve their policy goals, left-wing criminal justice policies in Manhattan, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, California and Minnesota will spread across the country and have a real impact on how federal criminal laws are enforced.”
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“I hope this hearing serves as a wake-up call for the American people to call on their leadership to abandon policies that endanger the safety of their communities. I also hope that it reminds Congress of our demands on federal law. Violent crime in Minnesota remains significantly elevated due to the lingering effects of the riots from the summer of 2020 and prosecutors' refusal to hold criminals accountable,” Biggs said.
Fox News Digital's Michael Lee contributed to this report.
