AG Sessions Urges House to Pass Measures Combating Criminal Aliens

Kate’s Law increases penalties for those illegally re-entering the United States, especially those, like the killer of the law’s namesake Kate Steinle, who racked up criminal records before being deported.

HR 3003 seeks to reign in so-called “sanctuary” jurisdictions by prohibiting them from preventing their own officials and law enforcement officers from inquiring about prisoners’ immigration status and reporting that information to the federal government. It also adds congressional backing to efforts by the Justice Department to limit federal grant money to jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement

In his statement in support of both bills, Attorney General Sessions wrote:

Countless families and communities have suffered as a result of these ‘sanctuary’ policies, which undermine federal law by safeguarding criminal illegal aliens from federal law enforcement. One victim of these policies was Kate Steinle, who was killed by an illegal alien who had been deported five times and yet still walked the streets freely. Her death was preventable, and she would still be alive today if only the City of San Francisco had put the public’s safety first. How many more Americans must die before we put an end to this madness?

Americans demand that these ‘sanctuary cities’ stop protecting criminals and start protecting law-abiding residents from danger. It should come as no surprise that a Harvard University report found that 80 percent of Americans believe that cities that arrest illegal aliens for crimes should be required to turn them over to federal immigration officials.

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