Lafayette Reporter

Senator John Kennedy from Louisiana, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has collaborated with Senator Joni Ernst from Iowa and other colleagues to introduce Sarah’s Law. The proposed legislation aims to ensure that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detains and removes illegal immigrants who are responsible for killing or seriously injuring Americans.

"Because of unfettered illegal immigration, Sarah Root, Laken Riley and other innocent Americans aren’t alive today. We need to pass Sarah’s Law to make sure we protect our communities from violent illegal immigrants," said Kennedy.

Sarah’s Law proposes several measures:

- ICE would be required to take into custody illegal aliens charged with killing or seriously injuring another person.

- ICE would be directed to identify victims of violent crimes by illegal aliens and inform their families about the criminal's name, country of nationality, immigration status, criminal history, and custody status. Additionally, ICE must notify the victim's family about any efforts to remove the alien from the U.S.

Ernst stated: "Sarah Root had her entire life ahead of her before it was senselessly taken by someone who never should have been in this country. Her family has been forced to endure a living nightmare without closure because a glaring loophole in the law has allowed her killer to remain on the run for nearly nine years. For years, I have worked tirelessly to pass Sarah’s Law to honor her memory, hold illegal immigrants that cause bodily harm to our citizens accountable, and ensure this never happens again. I will not give up this fight for justice because our laws should not prioritize illegal immigrants over the safety of Americans."

The law is named after Sarah Root, a 21-year-old killed by an illegal immigrant driving drunk. It aims to strengthen federal law so that criminal aliens like Root's killer remain incarcerated.

Several senators have cosponsored the bill including Chuck Grassley (Iowa), Katie Britt (Alabama), James Lankford (Oklahoma), Kevin Cramer (North Dakota), Bill Hagerty (Tennessee), Tim Scott (South Carolina), Ted Cruz (Texas), Ted Budd (North Carolina), Mike Crapo (Idaho), Steve Daines (Montana), John Cornyn (Texas), Jerry Moran (Kansas), Bill Cassidy (Louisiana), Lindsey Graham (South Carolina), Deb Fischer (Nebraska), Roger Marshall (Kansas), Tim Sheehy (Montana), Jim Risch (Idaho), John Curtis(Utah) Rick Scott(Florida) Pete Ricketts(Nebraska) Markwayne Mullin(Oklahoma) Cindy Hyde-Smith(Mississippi) Josh Hawley(Missouri) Mike Rounds(South Dakota) Shelley Moore Capito(West Virginia).

The full text of the bill is available for review.