Republican bill targets migrants who re-enter US illegally with mandatory 10-year sentences

"The GOP has toyed with the idea of imposing mandatory minimums on immigration offenses for a decade, most famously with a proposal called Kate's Law, which would have imposed five-year sentences on those convicted of illegal re-entry with certain criminal histories. But the new Stop Illegal Entry Act took that idea and ran with it, imposing a mandatory minimum of five years in prison for anyone who enters the US illegally and then commits a crime punishable by more than one year in prison."

"For those who commit a crime punishable by up to two years in prison, the mandatory minimum jumps to 10 years. That's the same mandatory minimum imposed on people convicted for sex-trafficking children. The bill passed the House of Representatives on 11 September, largely along party lines, with the support of 11 Democrats and the White House. Ted Cruz, the Republican Texas senator, is now trying to shepherd the measure through the Senate."

Republican lawmakers advanced the Stop Illegal Entry Act imposing mandatory minimums of five years for illegal entry followed by a crime punishable over one year, and ten years for crimes punishable up to two years. The bill equates penalties with those for child sex trafficking and passed the House largely along party lines with limited Democratic and White House support. Supporters call it a deterrent. Criminal justice groups warn it would incarcerate tens of thousands for nonviolent immigration offenses, clog federal courts, and impose roughly $440,000 per incarcerated person. Reformers say it punishes migrants fleeing poverty, violence, or seeking family reunification.

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