The mother of 21-year-old Sarah Root of Iowa, killed last year by an illegal immigrant drunken driver, met with President Donald Trump in the White House Wednesday and heard him urge support for a bill requiring pretrial detention for undocumented defendants who kill.
Michelle Wilson-Root, 48, will be in the House Chamber Thursday when the bill’s provisions are debated and voted on, she said. Wilson-Root had met previously with Trump who, as a candidate last year, said her daughter had been sacrificed “on the altar of open borders.”
Trump spoke about the bill the House will consider Thursday, according to a pool report of his remarks. “We will cut federal grant money to cities that shield dangerous criminal aliens from being turned over to federal law enforcement,” he said. The bill would also incorporate elements of “Kate’s Law,” named for 32-year-old Kathryn Steinle, who was killed in July 2015 in San Francisco by an illegal Mexican immigrant who had been previously convicted of a crime and deported.
“This law will enhance criminal penalties for those who repeatedly re-enter the country illegally,” Trump said.