Hawkeye Reporter

WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior member and former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, joined Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rep. Stephanie Bice (R-Okla.) in reintroducing Kate’s Law. The bicameral bill would establish a mandatory minimum sentence of five years for any person with multiple convictions, or a conviction for an aggravated felony, who enters the country illegally.

“We need tougher penalties for individuals who re-enter our country illegally, especially those who do so with a long rap sheet to their name. It’s dangerous and unjust to let these criminals off the hook. I hope Democrats will wake up to the reality at our southern border and drop opposition to this bill. The safety of American citizens depends on it,” Grassley said. 

“Eight years ago, when I first introduced Kate’s Law, I was just as shocked and dismayed that Kate Steinle was killed by an illegal felon who had reentered the U.S. as I am now. Almost a decade has gone by since this shooting and we have yet to strengthen federal law to prevent a tragedy like this from recurring. The first time this legislation was stopped by Senate Democrats, I vowed to continue fighting for Kate’s Law, and I am proud to introduce this legislation once again to prevent aggravated felons from preying on innocent Americans,” Cruz said. 

The full text of the bill is available HERE. 

Background:

Kate’s Law is named after Kate Steinle, a 32-year-old woman shot and killed by an illegal alien who had several felony convictions and was previously deported from the United States five times. In 2015, as chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Grassley convened a hearing where members heard from the Steinle family and others who had lost loved ones to crimes committed by illegal immigrants.

Later, as ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, Grassley led the charge against the Biden administration’s lax immigration policies that have since fueled the crisis at the southern border. Among other efforts, Grassley pressed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) about its noncompliance with statutory requirements for the detention and removal of immigrants with backgrounds involving criminal or terrorism activity. Grassley spearheaded a separate push opposing a DHS moratorium which would have made illegal immigrants – including those with criminal convictions or pending charges – eligible for final removal orders, allowing them to evade law enforcement altogether.

Under the Biden administration, there have been approximately 5.5 million encounters at the southern border. Customs and Border Protection reported more than 200,000 encounters in May 2023 alone. 

Original source can be found here.