A law that would impose a mandatory minimum five-year jail sentence for illegal aliens who re-enter the country after being deported has been reintroduced in the 115th Congress.

Known as "Kate's Law," after a San Francisco woman. Kate Steinle, who was murdered by an illegal alien who had been deported several times, the bill was passed by the House last year but died in the Senate. 

Washington Times:

“Parents should never experience the heartbreak of burying their child, but the Obama administration’s commitment to lawless immigration policy has made that tragedy the new normal,” said Mr. King, Iowa Republican.

“In his push for amnesty for criminals, the president ignored the price paid by victims — the price paid by Kate Steinle as she died in her father’s arms on San Francisco’s waterfront,” he said. “Kate’s beautiful life was taken from her on July 1, 2015, when she was shot in the back by an illegal alien who had previously been deported five times and was seeking refuge in a so-called ‘sanctuary city.’ “

The bill was originally introduced in 2015 by Mr. Cruz in the Senate and by former Rep. Matt Salmon in the House. Mr. Salmon, Arizona Republican, retired at the end of the last Congress.

Mr. Cruz said the American people had given Congress and the incoming administration a mandate to “reverse the dangerous course set under the Obama Administration that has encouraged illegal immigration and enabled lawbreakers to escape prosecution.”

“Kate’s Law is crucial to ensure that deported illegal aliens, especially those with violent criminal records, are deterred from illegally re-entering the United States to prey on innocent Americans,” the Texas Republican said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues and President-elect Trump to once and for all prevent cities from harboring illegal aliens, enforce federal immigration laws, and ensure the safety and security of the American people.”

During the presidential campaign, President-elect Donald Trump championed the Steinle family and the parents of other victims of illegal immigrant crime. Steinle’s name was included in a list of victims cited by Mr. Trump in his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio.

“Of all my travels in this country, nothing has affected me more, nothing even close I have to tell you, than the time I have spent with the mothers and fathers who have lost their children to violence spilling across our borders, which we can solve. We have to solve it,” Mr. Trump said in the speech.

Mr. King said it was a “disgrace” that tougher laws haven’t been enacted in the year and a half since the murder of Steinle.

Steinle's story is a horror story told far too often in America.  There have been numerous cases of illegal aliens who have been repeatedly deported only to return and commit horrific crimes, including rape, drunk driving, and murder.  Kate's law would remove excuses made by sanctuary cities that they can't detain illegal aliens at the federal government's request, even if they are charged with a serious crime. 

While the bill will almost certainly pass the House, it faces an uncertain future in the Senate. Unless Republicans can find eight Senate Democrats willing to stand up and be counted as supporters of Kate Steinle, the bill is likely to once again go down to defeat.