(The Center Square) – Republicans in the U.S. Senate and House have introduced multiple bills to increase penalties for crimes committed foreign nationals in the country illegally.
The latest filed on Tuesday would increase penalties for illegal border crossers with multiple convictions or who commit aggravated felonies.
The Stop Illegal Reentry Act, known as Kate’s Law, was filed by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, in the Senate and by U.S. Rep. Stephanie Bice, R-OK, in the House.
Cruz first introduced the bill roughly one decade ago in honor of Kate Steinle, a 32-year-old who was shot and killed in San Francisco in 2015 by a Mexican national who’d been deported five times and illegally reentered. He’d just been released from the San Francisco County Jail, where he was held facing a 20-year-old felony drug charge. Due to the city’s sanctuary city policies, the jail refused to comply with a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer request and released him into the community. He was acquitted of Steinle’s murder but convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Steinle’s murder sparked national outrage over sanctuary policies and lack of consequences for Americans killed by criminal aliens after being released into communities because of sanctuary policies. More Americans continue to be killed by criminal aliens, many of whom were released into the country by the Biden administration despite their extensive criminal history or gang affiliation, The Center Square reported.
The five-page bill would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to impose fines and minimum prison sentences. They include a minimum prison sentence of five years for illegal reentry after previously being deported and a minimum prison sentence of 10 years for those previously deported who have three or more misdemeanors involving drugs, crimes against a person, or both, or a felony (other than an aggravated felony), according to the bill language.
The bill would create a mandatory minimum criminal penalty of between five and 20 years in prison for illegal reentry of those who’ve been previously convicted of an aggravated felony or who were convicted at least twice before they illegally reentered.
Cruz’s bill previously went nowhere. Under a second Trump administration, it’s more likely to become law, he argues, saying, “President Trump and the new Republican Congress are taking decisive action to restore order.”
Bice said the bill was important to “take a firm stance against individuals who continue to violate our laws and endanger the safety of the American people. By imposing serious penalties on violent felons who repeatedly re-enter the country after deportation, we can deter the cycle of illegal reentry, uphold the rule of law, and send a clear message that actions have consequences.”
The bill, and others like it, have multiple cosponsors.
Cruz also filed a bill to amend the federal parole process, named after a Houston girl who was murdered allegedly by two Venezuelan men illegally in the country.
Republicans also introduced bills to increase penalties as they related to law enforcement. One would require illegal foreign nationals who assault law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency personnel to be deported. Another would increase penalties for those who target law enforcement officers, firefighters and emergency personnel to be considered as an aggravating factor when deciding whether to impose the death penalty in a federal charge, The Center Square reported.
President Donald Trump also issued an executive order to reinstate capital punishment for federal crimes, including directing the U.S. attorney general to pursue federal jurisdiction to seek the death penalty for “… a capital crime committed by an alien illegally present in this country.” The order also instructs the AG to encourage state attorneys general and district attorneys to bring state capital charges for all capital crimes with special attention to the murder of law enforcement officers or capital crimes committed by illegal foreign nationals, The Center Square reported.
Republicans also filed the Justice for Victims of Sanctuary Cities Act to allow victims, and families of victims, to sue for compensatory damages against state or local jurisdictions that impose sanctuary policies.
“For far too long, we have watched local jurisdictions … across the country ignore the lawful notification and detainer requests made by ICE agents and instead release dangerous criminals back into their communities, putting innocent lives at risk,” U.S. Sen. Tom Tillis, R-NC, who introduced the bill, said, adding that it will help Americans “fight sanctuary cities that prioritize reckless, lawless policies over public safety.”
The first border crime related bill expected to be signed into law by President Donald Trump is the Laken Riley Act, which passed the House and Senate not soon after he was sworn into office. It authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to detain and deport illegal foreign nationals charged with theft-related crimes, assaulting law enforcement officers, or committing acts that cause serious injury or death.
This article was originally published at www.thecentersquare.com
