Congressman Mo Brooks, R-Alabama, introduced two border security bills: Kate’s Law — the House companion to Sen. Ted Cruz’s Senate bill — and the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act. Brooks said that 2,000 Americans a year are killed by illegal aliens and another 30,000 die from overdosing on narcotics smuggled across the southern border.
“The Biden-Harris Administration has brazenly aided and abetted the flow of illegal aliens into America. Record breaking border crossings demonstrate America’s desperate need for stronger border security,” Brooks said. “Illegal immigration is not a victimless crime. Roughly two thousand Americans lose their lives each year at the hands of illegal aliens. Another 30,000+ Americans die each year from overdoses on deadly narcotics smuggled through America’s porous southern border. The net loss to taxpayers each year is roughly $9,000/illegal alien. Struggling American families should not have to suffer from wage suppression and lost job opportunities caused by tsunamis of illegal aliens coming into America.”
“Biden-Harris must start putting Americans first. I’ve introduced two bills to help stem the illegal alien tsunami,” Brooks said. “Kate’s Law increases penalties for illegal aliens who reenter America after being deported or denied entry. The No Sanctuary for Criminals Act punishes state and local sanctuary cities who aid and abet illegal alien criminals. I introduce these bills in tandem to end dangerous and abusive attempts to undermine federal law. These bill will prevent future tragedies committed by illegal aliens by empowering law enforcement to carry out and enforce federal immigration law.”
Cruz is the Senate sponsor of Kate’s Law.
“The radical immigration policies of the Biden-Harris Administration are a threat to the safety and security of the American people, as were the policies of the Obama administration that led to Kate Steinle’s tragic murder,” Cruz said. “Kate’s Law is crucial to ensure that deported illegal aliens, especially those with violent criminal records, are deterred from illegally reentering the United States to prey on innocent Americans like Kate. I have long fought for Kate’s law, and I urge my colleagues and the Biden administration to swiftly take up and pass this commonsense legislation to stand with the American people rather than convicted felons.”
Kate’s Law is named in memory of Kate Steinle, who was murdered in San Francisco by an undocumented immigrant who had previously been deported five times and was convicted of multiple felonies.
Brooks’ office said that crime is preventable when immigration law is fully enforced. This bill would further deter illegal re-entry by enhancing penalties for deported people who return to the United States by increasing from two years to five years the maximum prison term for a person who reenters after being denied admission, excluded, deported or removed. It also establishes further enhanced penalties for people who were deported following a conviction of an aggravated felony and for those who have been previously convicted of illegal reentry.
The No Sanctuary for Criminals Act strengthens federal law to combat sanctuary city policies that shield illegal aliens and interfere with federal immigration law. Specifically the bill would withhold certain federal grants — COPS, Byrne JAG, or other related DOJ or DHS grants — from jurisdictions that violate federal law by prohibiting their officers from cooperating with ICE. It also would allow victims of certain crimes to sue jurisdictions that refuse to comply and subsequently release undocumented immigrants onto the streets; and it would ensure that undocumented immigrants convicted of drunk driving or are arrested for other dangerous crimes are detained during their removal proceedings.
Prominent immigration reduction groups, NumbersUSA and the Federation for American Immigration Reform, both support the bills.
Rosemary Jenks is the director of Government Relations for NumbersUSA.
Jenks said: “If there’s one thing Congress should agree on, it’s that criminal aliens should be removed from the United States, not released to commit further crimes. We applaud Congressman Brooks’ continued effort to see that the rule of law is enforced in immigration policy.”
RJ Hauman is the government relations director at the Federation for American Immigration Reform.
Hauman said: “Sanctuary cities have jeopardized innocent lives for far too long. By refusing to cooperate with federal authorities, sanctuary cities allow criminal aliens to be released onto the streets. We are all too familiar with how this practice has devastated families like the Steinles, Roots, and Ronnebecks, and we must strengthen the law to combat such recklessness. That is precisely what Congressman Brooks is trying to do. We applaud him for the introduction of two FAIR-supported bills that seek to enhance public safety by punishing sanctuary cities and criminal aliens who re-enter the country after deportation.”
Brooks is serving in his sixth term representing Alabama’s 5th Congressional District. Brooks is a 2022 candidate for U.S. Senate.
