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U.S. Attorney for Utah John Huber announced his support Wednesday at a White House press briefing for two bills that would increase punishment for people who re-enter the United States illegally and stop some federal grants from going to "sanctuary" jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with immigration authorities.
Huber cited the case of Roberto Miramontes Roman, who was sentenced last month to life in a federal prison in the slaying of Millard County Sheriff's Deputy Josie Greathouse Fox, as support for the legislation. He said Roman had been deported three times but returned to Utah, where he trafficked methamphetamine and fatally shot Fox in 2010.
"Stiffer penalties for re-entry offenders make sense," Huber said in a prepared statement released by his office. "The status quo is just not deterring the criminals from returning."
Huber also said in his statement that "removing unnatural impediments between local and federal law enforcement will enable the coordination we need in this country to keep our neighborhoods safe."
The Department of Justice asked Huber to provide the briefing because he could offer a unique perspective on the illegal re-entry problem and how it affects even a nonborder state, according to Melodie Rydalch, spokeswoman for the Utah U.S. Attorney's Office.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions also issued a statement Wednesday urging the House of Representatives to pass the legislation, Kate's Law (H.R. 3004) and No Sanctuary for Criminals Act (H.R. 3003).
"These bills can restore sanity and common sense to our system by ending abusive attempts to undermine federal law, and they can prevent future tragedies by empowering law enforcement," Sessions said in his statement.
Kate's Law was named after 32-year old Kathryn Steinle, who was shot and killed in San Francisco in 2015. The Mexican national accused in the slaying had previously been deported five times but was released by sheriff's officials months earlier despite a request by immigration officials to keep him behind bars.
Lorella Praeli, the director of immigration policy at the American Civil Liberties Union, criticized the bills as being "riddled with constitutional violations" and said they would undermine the trust that law enforcements builds with its communities."
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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