On the same day that Daily Kos endorsed his primary challenger, Blue Dog Democrat Dan Lipinski made clear why it’s so important to defeat him. Lipinski voted for the anti-immigrant “Kate’s Law,” which the American Civil Liberties Union described last year as “an ultimately shortsighted and ill-conceived response to the murder of Kate Steinle in San Francisco in July 2015.”
While passing such a law may sound or feel productive,it would not have saved Kate Steinle’s life had it existed at the time of her death. A new mandatory minimum sentence will not stop illegal reentry any more than mandatory minimum drug sentences have stopped the opioid health crisis impacting our country now. We cannot incarcerate our way out of this country’s drug problems, or its immigration problems. [...]
Getting more people working here legally is good for business, the economy, and free markets. Indiscriminately imprisoning large portions of those who have illegally reentered the country for at least five years will negate the benefits of any other criminal justice reforms Congress may enact, do nothing to enhance border security or implement humane and sensible immigration reforms, and will increase the burden on taxpayers and law enforcement without increasing public safety.
“I second the ACLU in their characterization of Kate’s Law,” Lipinski’s opponent, Marie Newman, said in an emailed statement. And:
“This is another instance of Congressman Lipinski voting to support the Trump agenda,” said Newman. “I am beyond disappointed with Lipinski’s anti-immigrant, xenophobic views. They’re not consistent with our American and Democratic values,” continued Newman. [...]
“This legislation is outrageous in that it unilaterally treats all people who have entered this country illegally twice, as criminals – whether they are fleeing persecution, aiming to be reunited with their family members, or attend to a sick family member,” said Newman. “I of course support keeping criminals and people who are intent on doing harm out of our country. But this legislation is the wrong approach – it’s anti-immigrant and anti-American and another example of how Dan Lipinski is out of step with this district,” declared Newman.
Please give $3 to Marie Newman today to help her give the boot to a truly terrible Democrat.