The proposed measure is a 'solution' in search of a problem, with drastic unintended consequences.
The proposed measure is yet another example of the right's inane, unwarranted hostility toward Hispanic immigrants – nothing more than political fear-mongering and demagoguery.
'Despite the public rancor,
immigrants are generally less likely to commit crimes than the native population, according to the
The Wall Street Journal. Mandatory minimums are generally ineffective at reducing crime or recidivism. Anti-illegal-immigration advocates who complain about the burden on the American taxpayer might find a 28 percent increase in the federal prison budget counterproductive. But these are relatively minor points in the debate. What matters is the all-too-familiar refrain:
Something must be done.
[...]
If the proposal became law, its impact would be dramatic. “Kate’s Law would suck up every dime you saved from criminal-justice reform and negate it,” said Molly Gill, a government-affairs counsel at FAMM. Undocumented immigrants typically serve between 15 to 18 months in prison under the current sentencing laws before deportation, Gill said. [The Bill's] proposal would boost that average by 300 percent. Housing the Kate’s Law inmates for longer periods of time would cost the U.S. Bureau of Prisons an estimated $2 billion per year, according to FAMM. The bureau’s annual budget request for all of 2015 was $7 billion.'
The Trouble with Kate's Law
