Press Releases

Washington, DC - Ranking Member Lamar Smith (R-TX) issued the following statement in response to reports that Governor Jan Brewer signed a new immigration enforcement bill into law. 

Washington, D.C. - Today the Justice Department announced that it will appeal U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb’s ruling that found the National Day of Prayer to be unconstitutional. House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Lamar Smith (R-Texas) released the following statement applauding their decision:

Washington, D.C. - House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Lamar Smith (R-Texas) today criticized the decision by U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb, which found the National Day of Prayer to be unconstitutional. 

Washington, D.C. - Ranking Member Lamar Smith (R-Texas) today commented on a reported $18 million settlement with employees who said that the company hired illegal immigrants to keep wages low.  According to news reports, the settlement affects about 48,000 current and former Mohawk workers. 

            Smith commented on the House floor:

Washington, D.C. - In a letter today to Attorney General Eric Holder, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Lamar Smith (R-Texas) urged the Justice Department to appeal a ruling that may order the release of Guantanamo Bay detainee Mohamedou Ould Slahi.

As the letter states, Slahi was considered by Pentagon officials to be the “highest value detainee at the facility” and that he was the “key orchestrator of the al Qaeda cell in Europe.” 

(Washington, DC) - Today on Capitol Hill, Members of Congress announced a new caucus that will focus on putting millions of Americans back to work. Currently, 15 million Americans are unemployed, while an estimated 8 million illegal immigrants are employed.