(LibertySociety.com) – Texas Senator Ted Cruz is committed to getting “Kate’s Law” passed in the Senate this year, as his efforts have been blocked by Democrats every time he has introduced the bill. The legislation will imprison illegal migrants for five years if they reenter the United States after previously being deported from the country.
When Senator Cruz initially introduced it in 2015, he named it to honor Kate Steinle, who was shot and killed by an illegal migrant who had been removed from the country many times. Her killer was ultimately acquitted after arguing that the weapon was accidentally discharged.
Senators Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, are co-sponsoring the legislation in the Senate, and Oklahoma Representative Stephanie Bice is pushing for members of the House to get on board with passing the bill once it is sent to the lower chamber. Cruz is counting on support from moderate Democrats to vote in favor of the legislation, as they hold a slight majority in the Senate. In a statement to Fox News, Cruz expressed his disappointment that Congress has not taken meaningful action to “strengthen federal law” to stop something similar from happening in the future, adding that it’s been almost ten years since Steinle was killed.
While the Biden administration has implemented new policies that it claims have helped control the situation at the southern border, there are still record numbers of illegal migrants crossing into the country each year. Five people were murdered in Texas by an illegal migrant who had been deported from the country on five separate occasions back in April, which was noted by Rep. Bice in a statement about the legislation.
She also explained how the bill would “impose tougher criminal penalties against illegal migrants who have committed violent crimes,” in addition to the mandatory prison time for those who reenter the United States illegally after deportation. Senator Cruz is facing an uphill battle in getting the legislation to President Biden’s desk, but it is unknown if he would agree to sign it even if it does.
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