Graves: House to vote on Kate's Law this week

(From Sixth District Congressman Sam Graves)

On July 1, 2015, 32-year-old Kate Steinle was tragically shot and killed while the walking the streets of San Francisco with her father. The bullet came from a gun stolen by Juan Francisco Lopez-Sanchez, an immigrant who had re-entered this country illegally after being deported for committing a separate crime.

This week, the U.S. House will vote on H.R. 3004, legislation that will increase the criminal penalties for deported felons who come back into the United States. Kate's Law, as it is also known, is designed to prevent any American from facing a tragedy like Kate Steinle and her family did two years ago Saturday.

I’ve always said that there is nothing wrong with legal immigration. But it has to be legal. The problem is that some misguided federal policies - and certain cities across the country - fail to recognize the dangers of illegal immigration.

Illegal immigration is just that - illegal. And regardless of the reason they are here, illegal immigrants are still living here illegally. One of the things that frustrates me most about Washington D.C. is that people seem to forget that.

The horrible death of Kate Steinle highlights the real consequences of Sanctuary Cities and weak illegal immigration laws. Even though Lopez-Sanchez had seven felony convictions and had been deported multiple times, he was still released by the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office when detained prior to Steinle's death.

There is no reason why any city in this country should refuse to enforce laws against illegal immigrants. It punishes everyone who follows our laws, it sends the wrong message to the rest of the world, and it can have devastating consequences for our people. I look forward to voting for a bill this week to help make sure that never happens again.