Sen. Cruz Praises House Passage of Kate’s Law
Urges the Senate to take up the bill this year
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) issued the following statement praising the passage of Kate’s Law today in the U.S. House of Representatives. This bill, which was introduced by Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Rep. Steve King (R-Ia.), received strong bipartisan support.
“The House of Representatives took a tremendous step today to protect our national security and ensure the safety of our communities by passing Kate’s Law,” said Sen. Cruz. “I applaud their efforts, and I look forward to the Senate swiftly taking up this bill and hopefully, passing it. We must protect the American people, and Kate’s Law will save lives by ensuring that violent illegal immigrants who repeatedly flout our laws are taken off the streets for good.”
Kate’s Law is named for Kate Steinle. Two years ago this week, on a San Francisco pier, Kate was shot and killed by an immigrant who had committed numerous felonies and been deported and illegally reentered the country five times. She died in her father’s arms. Kate’s Law would increase the maximum sentence for illegal reentry to five years and create a new illegal reentry penalty of up to 10 years for anyone who had previously been denied admission or deported at least three times. It would also impose a five-year mandatory minimum sentence for anyone convicted of illegal reentry who had a prior aggravated felony or had been convicted of illegal reentry at least twice before. Sen. Cruz is the lead sponsor of Kate’s Law (S. 45) in the Senate. The bill currently has 13 co-sponsors.
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