Speech #1140056389

Unfortunately. I could go on and on. Decisions to release undocumented immigrants convicted of crimes. instead of detaining them for Federal officials. have resulted in far too many tragedies like those of Marilyn Pharis and Kate Steinle. and too many families in this country are mourning as a result. Cooperation between local and Federal law enforcement is essential to protecting Americans. and detainer requests from the Department of Homeland Security are a key tool that helps Federal officials make sure dangerous individuals are not going back onto our Nations streets. When cities and counties ignore these requests. they force immigration officers to attempt to track down undocumented criminals after they have been released into the community. According to the Center for Immigration Studies. this requires an exponentially larger expenditure of funds and manpower and success is not guaranteed. Immigration and Customs Enforcement needs the support of cities and local law enforcement if it is going to keep these individuals off our Nations streets. The legislation we have been discussing today would take a substantial step forward toward handling the threat posed by sanctuary cities. The Stop Sanctuary Policies and Protect Americans Act. which has strong support from law enforcement organizations and victims families. will withhold Federal funds under three grant programs and redirect those funds to jurisdictions that comply with Federal immigration laws. It will also provide crucial legal protections to law enforcement officers that will allow them to cooperate with Federal immigration authorities without the fear of lawsuits. This act also incorporates provisions known as Kates Law. named after Kate Steinle. These provisions would increase the maximum penalty for illegally reentering the United States after being deported and create a maximum penalty of 10 years for reentering the country illegally after being deported three or more times. Kates Law would also create a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years for those reentering the country after having been convicted of an aggravated felony prior to deportation or for those who reenter the country after two previous convictions for illegal reentry. What happened to Kate Steinle on that pier in San Francisco should never have happened. It likely could have been prevented if San Francisco had chosen to respect the Department of Homeland Securitys request to hold her killer until immigration officers could pick him up. I hope the stop sanctuary policies act will move forward in the Senate so we will be able to send a version of this legislation to the President. It is time we started ensuring that dangerous criminals like Kate Steinles killer dont end up back on the streets.