Justice

The House Just Passed 'Kate's Law'—Here's What That Means

June 29th 2017

Donald Trump scored a win on Thursday on immigration—and it has nothing to do with the revised Travel Ban.

trump-clappingFlickr/Gage Skidmore - flickr.com

The House of Representatives voted to pass a bill called "Kate's Law."

Who is Kate?

The Kate in Kate's Law refers to Kathryn Steinle, who was shot in San Francisco on July 1, 2015 by an undocumented immigrant. The Washington Post reports the man accused of killing her is Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, "a Mexican national with seven felony convictions and who had been deported five times but had returned to the United States."

Kate's Law is an immigration bill that would impose mandatory minimum sentences, according to CNN, and "increase maximum penalties for undocumented immigrants who repeatedly enter the country illegally after deportation, especially with criminal records."

Critics of the bill call it "unjust."

The American Civil Liberties Union has been a long-time vocal opponent of the bill. "We oppose Kate’s Law because it will produce unjust results, waste billions
of taxpayer dollars, fail to fix America’s flawed immigration system, and endanger public safety," they stated in a July 6 2016 letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. 

"The five-year mandatory minimum prison term in Kate’s Law would apply to thousands of the 20,000 people convicted of illegal reentry offenses and sentenced in federal courts every year," the ACLU adds. "Kate’s Law would cost taxpayers $3.1 billion over the next 10 years just for people with a prior aggravated felony conviction—and require the construction of nine new federal prisons at even additional costs."

Those who support the law see it as a solution to protecting American citizens.

While some opponents see it as a way of painting all undocumented immigrants as dangerous criminals.

The White House released a statement.

"During my campaign, I met many grieving families who all had the same plea: lawmakers must put the safety of American families first," President Trump's satement begins

"Today, I applaud the House for passing two crucial measures to save and protect American lives. These were bills I campaigned on and that are vital to our public safety and national security.

The first bill, Kate’s Law, increases criminal penalties for illegal immigrants who repeatedly re-enter the country illegally. The bill is named for Kate Steinle, who was killed by an illegal immigrant who had been deported five times. Every year, countless Americans are victimized, assaulted, and killed by illegal immigrants who have been deported multiple times. It is time for these tragedies to end."

The second bill passed was the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, regarding Sanctuary Cities

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