U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (MO-03) issued the following statement after Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly issued today’s guidance on President Trump’s executive order regarding immigration enforcement.

“Today’s announcement from DHS Secretary Kelly is a commonsense decision to enforce the immigration laws of the United States, and goes a long way towards removing dangerous criminal aliens from our country,” Luetkemeyer said. “Last year, Montgomery County and Kansas City were rocked when an illegal immigrant with a lengthy history of violence killed five individuals in Missouri and Kansas. Those actions prompted me to introduce legislation that would have forced DHS to work with and train local law enforcement to apprehend and detain criminal aliens. I am encouraged that under this guidance the Administration took a similar approach to train local law enforcement officers and give them the necessary authority to protect their communities from criminal aliens.”