The U.S. House of Representatives passed two key pieces of immigration legislation on Thursday.
Both bills, known as Kate’s Law and the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act, were supported by President Trump in his battle against illegal immigration.
According to Time.com, the bills increase the penalties for immigrants who come back into the U.S. after being deported and revoke federal grants from cities that fail to comply with federal immigration policies--so-called sanctuary cities.
Before the vote on the bills, the President tweeted “MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN.” After the bill passed, he also tweeted to say he hopes the Senate will follow the House’s lead and also pass the immigration bills.
“President Trump has been clear that our borders are not open to illegal immigration, that we are a nation of laws, and we will no longer look the other way,” said Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly. “Well, we will no longer look the other way in the interior, either.”
Time.com explains that “Kate’s Law” is named thus for Kathryn Steinle who was killed in 2015 by an illegal immigrant who’d been deported five times. The bill aims to prevent any such situation from happening again in the future.
The bills mostly passed along party lines and many Democrats warned that they will only serve to instill fear among immigrants and present a greater threat to public safety.
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Publication date: June 30, 2017