# Kate's Law: Plain Language Summary

Kate's Law is named after Kate Steinle, a woman killed by someone who was in the country illegally and had been deported multiple times before. This bill makes it a federal crime to re-enter the United States after being deported, with mandatory minimum prison sentences for people who do so. Currently, illegally re-entering the country is a crime, but judges have flexibility in sentencing. This bill removes that flexibility and requires judges to impose at least two years in prison for a first offense of illegal re-entry, and at least ten years for someone who has previously been deported and re-entered multiple times.

The law also increases penalties for people who are deported and then commit other crimes while back in the country illegally. Additionally, it makes it easier for immigration officials to detain people suspected of being in the country illegally by removing some legal requirements they currently have to follow. The bill also increases funding for border security and immigration enforcement efforts.

Who this affects depends on your perspective. If you're concerned about immigration enforcement, this bill strengthens the government's ability to punish and deter people from illegally re-entering the country after deportation. If you're focused on criminal justice reform or have concerns about immigration policy, you might worry that mandatory minimum sentences remove judges' ability to consider individual circumstances, and that expanded detention authority could lead to more people being held in custody. The bill essentially takes a harder line on immigration enforcement by removing discretion from judges and giving immigration authorities more power to detain and prosecute people in the country illegally.

Kate's Law

Brooks, Mo

Stop Illegal Reentry Act or Kate's Law This bill increases criminal penalties for certain aliens who illegally reenter the United States after removal or exclusion. Generally, an alien who had been denied entry into or removed from the United States and who later enters or attempts to enter the United States without prior approval from the Department of Homeland Security shall be fined, imprisoned for up to five years, or both. Current law requires a fine, imprisonment for up to two years, or both, for such an alien. An alien who had been denied entry or removed three or more times and who later enters or attempts to enter the United States shall be fined, imprisoned for up to 10 years, or both. An alien who was convicted of an aggravated felony or convicted at least two times before removal or departure and who subsequently enters or tries to enter the United States shall be imprisoned at least five years and for up to twenty years, and may also be fined. Currently, there is no minimum term of imprisonment for an alien who reenters after a conviction for an aggravated felony, and there are no criminal penalties for a reentering alien who had been convicted at least two times (other than the penalties for illegal reentry generally).