WASHINGTON – The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed its first bill of the 119th Congress, a measure that increases migrant detention and is named after a Georgia nursing student whose murder President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly linked to Biden’s immigration policies. government associated.
US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson said during a press conference on Tuesday: “As promised, we are beginning border security today.”
“If you surveyed the population and voters, they would tell you that this is at the top of the list and we still have a lot of work to do to fix it,” the Louisiana Republican said. “Because of what has happened over the last four years, it is an absolute disaster, and the Laken Riley Act is a big part of that.”
Riley, 22, was on the run when her roommates became concerned because she hadn’t returned home. Jose Antonio Ibarra, a 26-year-old migrant from Venezuela, was convicted of murder last month. According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Ibarra is believed to have entered the country illegally in 2022.
The bill, HR29passed 264-159, 48 Democrats joined the Republicans. The measure too The House passed on a bipartisan basis in the last Congresswith 37 Democrats voting with the GOP.
It stalled in the Senate when then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, did not bring it to a vote.
That will probably change now. Republicans, who now control the Senate, are expected to advance the bill, possibly this week. Alabama Senator Katie Britt is the lead sponsor of the companion bill to the House bill in this chamber. p. 5.
The Senate version has already received bipartisan support Supportwith the support of Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman.
Additionally, Michigan Democratic Senator Gary Peters said he would support the bill if it were brought to a vote in the Senate.
“We need to make sure we do everything we can to secure the border and keep the people in our country safe,” he said in an interview with States Newsroom.
If the bill passes the 60-vote threshold in the Senate, it will likely take effect sometime after Trump’s inauguration on January 20. However, it is not yet clear how many Democrats will join Republicans in supporting him.
DHS Detention, AG Lawsuits
Ibarra, the man convicted of Riley’s murder, had previously been arrested for driving a scooter without a license and for shoplifting. The bill would require the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to arrest all immigrants, including those with legal status, who are accused of local theft, burglary or shoplifting.
It would also allow a state’s attorney general to bring civil suits against the federal government for violating a detention or deportation process “that harms that state or its residents.”
Rep. Mike Collins, who sponsored the bill, represents the district where Riley’s family lives.
“This legislation could have prevented her death,” the Georgia Republican said Tuesday. “We have to make sure something like this never happens again.”
During the debate, Collins read a statement from the Riley family saying they supported the bill.
“Laken would have turned 23 on January 10,” Collins read from the statement. “There is no greater gift that could be given to her or our country than continuing her legacy by saving lives through this legislation.”
“Empty and opportunistic”
Maryland Democratic Rep. Jamie Raskin criticized the measure, arguing that if it became law it would raise questions about due process because the measure would require detaining immigrants based on a charge or arrest.
“Your bill today is an empty and opportunistic measure,” Raskin said during Tuesday’s debate.
“This bill would upend the 28-year policy of mandatory immigrant detention by requiring that any undocumented immigrant arrested for larceny, larceny, or shoplifting be imprisoned, even if they are never convicted or even convicted is charged with a crime.”
Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, said the bill does not regulate the U.S. immigration system.
“This will unjustly destroy many more innocent lives without due process,” she said.
Jennifer Shutt contributed to this report.
Last updated on January 7, 2025 at 3:54 p.m
