Republican-Controlled Senate Blocks Kate’s Law, Bill Defunding Sanctuary Cities

The Republican-controlled Senate failed to advance legislation defunding sanctuary cities and increasing minimum punishments for previously-deported illegal aliens caught breaking back into the U.S. on Wednesday, gaining only 53 and 55 votes, respectively, when 60 were needed to proceed with both bills.

Sponsored by Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, one bill would have stripped funding from jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities when arresting illegal aliens suspected of committing further crimes and work to prevent lawful deportation proceedings. Immigration enforcement advocates have called Kate’s Law, introduced by Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, “mainly symbolic,” with Center for Immigration Studies president Mark Kirkorian stating: “Reentry after deportation is already a felony and the problem is that Obama’s Justice Department seldom prosecutes offenders.”

A Mexican illegal alien who had been deported five times previously allegedly used a stolen federal agent’s gun to fire a few shots, one of which struck Steinle as she walked with her father on July 16, 2015 along a San Francisco pier.

Steinle’s father described his slain daughter’s last moments as his wife sobbed before a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing just days later:

Kate was beautiful, kind, happy, caring, loving and deep in faith. Kate had a special soul, a kind and giving heart, the most contagious laugh, and a smile that would light up a room. Kate loved to travel, spend time with her friends, and most of all spend time with her family. In fact, the day she was killed, we were walking arm in arm on Pier 14 In San Francisco, enjoying a wonderful day together. Suddenly a shot rang out, Kate fell, and looked at me and said “Help me, Dad.” Those are the last words I will ever hear from my daughter.

Steinle’s family sued San Francisco, a designated sanctuary city for criminal illegal aliens. Republicans have pushed for both the defunding of sanctuary cities and Kate’s Law for months.

Sanctuary cities pose a great threat to American communities already overrun by Third Worlders and their descendants and a vast network of lawlessness sprawls across the country. As many as 11 to 30 million illegal aliens, largely but not exclusively originating from the most violent and backwards nations on Earth, are currently squatting on U.S. territory.

But many Republicans in Congress have adopted the deeply unpopular position that the U.S. should only go through the motions of securing the border, while at the same time importing hundreds of thousands of so-called “refugees” from hellish, war-torn countries and ramp up the inflow of Muslim immigration. This position is passionately espoused by Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan, who insists limiting Muslim immigration is “not what this country stands for” as he sends his little children to a Catholic school free from Muslim child rape gangs, sharia law, and terrorism.

The votes come as presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton promises to dissolve national borders within 100 days of taking office and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump pledge to enforce immigration law and build a wall to stem the massive, lucrative flow of drugs and trafficked humans across the U.S.-Mexico border.