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Kate Steinle, a 32-year-old San Francisco woman who was shot and killed by an undocumented immigrant, has become the face of immigration reform in the United States.

Rep. Bob Goodlatte introduced a bill named after the California woman as part of U.S. House Republicans sweeping push for immigration reform a charge welcomed by the former immigration attorney from Roanoke County.

In the two years since Steinles death, some conservatives have pointed to the tragedy in opposition to sanctuary city policies.

Juan Lopez-Sanchez, the man charged with Steinles death, is an immigrant from Mexico who was deported five times since first arriving in the country in 1991.

After being taken to San Francisco on an old warrant for marijuana possession, local officials dropped those charges and Lopez-Sanchez was released from jail months before the shooting. Per San Franciscos sanctuary city policy, local law enforcement did not inform U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that they were releasing Lopez-Sanchez.

Goodlattes Kates Law would increase the maximum sentences for immigrants who illegally re-enter the country after being deported.

What happened to Kate Steinle is not at all unusual, Goodlatte said in an interview last week.

The congressman also cited the March death of a Lynchburg teen whose body was found in Bedford County and is believed to have been killed by members of the MS-13 gang. One of the Salvadoran men charged with the murder is also a suspect in a Maryland homicide case.

While some Democrats criticized Goodlattes bill by saying it would apply harsh penalties for garden variety offenses, and other critics argued the legislation wouldnt have stopped what happened to Steinle, the bill passed the House in June with bipartisan support.

Working in tandem with President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans, Goodlatte chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee, which hears immigration bills is pushing an agenda that increases enforcement of illegal immigration and limits legal migration into the country.

The Judiciary Committee has heard and passed a slate of immigration measures that would cut funding for sanctuary cities and secure Americas borders. The committee has also passed measures to usurp presidential powers to grant the authority of states and localities to enforce immigration laws inconsistent with federal statutes and set the refugee resettlement ceiling, which would be capped at 50,000 people annually.

Goodlattes bills Kates Law and No Sanctuary for Criminals Act are two of the most significant in the reform package because they already have passed the House and will set the tone for how far Congress is willing to bend on immigration reform. While they face a difficult road in the Senate, Trump has thrown his weight behind the measures, calling them vital to public safety and national security.

Trump backing Goodlattes bills is no surprise considering the president campaigned heavily on immigration reform and has repeatedly vowed to withhold funds from sanctuary cities. He also name-dropped Steinle in his speech at the Republican National Convention last year, saying, but where was the sanctuary for Kate Steinle?

This collaboration represents a drastic change of pace from when former President Barack Obama was in office.

Shortly after Goodlatte was named chairman of the Judiciary Committee, he sat down with Obama to discuss immigration reform. During the 40-minute meeting, the two talked in detail about their views on immigration, but couldnt manage to see eye-to-eye.

We had an in-depth discussion about the issue and I think we could understand where each was coming from, but we couldnt find common ground, Goodlatte said.

At the time, Obama favored a comprehensive Senate approach that would give millions of undocumented immigrants a chance at citizenship while also beefing up security along the border between the U.S. and Mexico. Goodlatte, on the other hand, has long supported a stronger enforcement model that adheres to the nations current immigration laws.

But Goodlatte said he is pleased with the focus of the current administration because it largely aligns with his own vision for immigration reform.

Other House Republicans also have lauded Trumps push for increased border security and decreased migration into the country during floor debates on immigration reform.

Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., praised Kates Law, saying the U.S. should have no crimes committed by illegal immigrants because there should be no illegal immigrants in the country.

Citing a Fox News analysis, he also argued that illegal immigrants commit crimes at higher rates than American citizens, an argument PoltiFact California has debunked.

For the past 16 years, we had two presidents who did not prioritize dealing with illegal immigrants, he said. Thank God we finally have a president who takes that role seriously.

Pro-immigrant groups see the legislation differently.

Monica Sarmiento, executive director of the Virginia Coalition for Immigrant Rights, called the Trump administrations push for immigration reform a systemic effort to vilify the nations undocumented immigrant community and reduce the number of legal immigrants into the country.

Its easier for the administration to use immigrants as a scapegoat for Americas problems than it is for Trump and Congress to fix real problems like crippling student debt, reforming the criminal justice system and growing the economy, she said.

What were seeing is that the administration and Congressman Goodlatte are constantly trying to focus and really spend taxpayer money on initiatives that lead to attacking individuals that should not be under the limelight, she said.

Goodlattes sanctuary cities bill would bar sanctuary cities that limit cooperation with federal immigration authorities from receiving some federal funds and opens those localities up to being sued by the victims of crimes committed by undocumented immigrants. The legislation also calls for undocumented immigrants who have committed dangerous crimes to be detained during their removal proceedings.

In June, hundreds of local, state and national organizations that advocate for or depend on immigrants signed a letter to the House of Representatives, urging members to vote down Kates Law and the No Sanctuary for Criminals Act.

Sanctuary policies are critical to promote public safety for local communities, the letter said. Fearing referral to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, victims and witnesses of crime are significantly less likely to communicate with local law enforcement. Local law enforcement authorities have repeatedly echoed this sentiment, acknowledging that community policing policies are paramount to enhancing public safety.

The national Fraternal Order of Police echoed similar sentiments in a letter sent to House leadership in June.

Having garnered support from just three House Democrats, Goodlattes sanctuary cities bill faces a tough road in the Senate.

For comparison, two dozen House Democrats voted in favor of Kates Law, but Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, introduced similar legislation under the same name last year. His bill failed in the Senate.

Regardless of the outcome of his two bills, Goodlatte will continue to work toward immigration reform with the help of the executive branch and his Republican colleagues. Last week, he praised two Republican senators for introducing the Reforming American Immigration for a Strong Economy (RAISE) Act, which would cut the number of legal immigrants entering the U.S. by half in the next decade and create a merit-based green card system, as opposed to the lottery system currently in place. Trump also has backed the legislation.

This Congress must pass strong measures to ensure that immigration enforcement in the interior of the United States remains a priority , Goodlatte said in June.

The rest is here:
Goodlatte and House Judiciary Committee leading Trump's call for immigration reform - Roanoke Times