Congress·In Committee·S. 2547

Sen. Cruz Introduces Kate's Law to Mandate Longer Prison Sentences for Illegal Reentry

A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to increase penalties for individuals who illegally enter and reenter the United States after being removed, and for other purposes.

Also known as: Kate's Law

8 months ago·View on Congress.gov

⏸

Stalled

No legislative action in over 90 days.

Legislative Progress

Senate

House

President

Law

Key Points

This bill, known as Kate's Law, would increase the maximum prison time for entering the U.S. illegally from 2 years to 5 years.
It creates a mandatory 5-year prison sentence for anyone who enters the country illegally and is later convicted of a crime that carries a sentence of more than one year.
People who return to the U.S. after being deported would face up to 10 years in prison, which is an increase from previous limits.
The bill sets a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison for anyone who reenters the U.S. after being deported if they have a prior felony conviction or a history of serious crimes.
Those who have been deported three or more times and try to come back would also face up to 10 years in prison under these new rules.

ImmigrationCriminal Justice

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

State Impacts

StateScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Jul 30, 2025Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Jul 30, 2025

Introduced in Senate

Related News

1 article

Axios·about 1 year ago

Scoop: Republicans target migrants who come back after deportations

Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Stephanie Bice are reintroducing 'Kate’s Law' to impose harsher penalties on migrants who illegally recross into the U.S. after removal. The move is part of a broader GOP strategy to force divisive votes on immigration and strengthen enforcement under the new administration.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

A bill to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to increase penalties for individuals who illegally enter and reenter the United States after being removed, and for other purposes.

Bill NumberS 2547

Congress119th Congress

ChamberSenate

Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(4)

R: 4

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.