Senate to take up Laken Riley's immigration bill

WASHINGTON (Gray DC) – The Senate is expected to pass an immigration bill Thursday that would require the detention of undocumented immigrants who are accused of certain crimes.

The bill, the Laken Riley Act, is moving forward after it passed the House on Tuesday. It is named after a Georgia student who was killed last year by an undocumented immigrant.

It would require the Department of Homeland Security to detain undocumented immigrants who have been arrested for burglary, theft, larceny or shoplifting.

“If it had been in place, Laken Riley would still be alive,” said Sen. Katie Britt, (R-AL), who introduced the bill in the Senate. “Because if you think about Laken Riley’s killer, he was arrested not just once, but twice. He was arrested in New York. He was arrested in Georgia. If he had been detained at any time, she would still be with us.”

This is the second time the Senate has taken up the bill after it failed last year. But unlike then, Republicans now hold the majority in the chamber. They promised to help fulfill the border security policy promises that both they and President-elect Donald Trump made in 2024.

“I think it’s appropriate, given the debacle of the last four years with the Biden administration’s open border policies, to emphasize that people who come into the country illegally, who have no right to be here in the first place, and especially those who continue to abuse the hospitality, so to speak, of the American people by committing other crimes should be among the first in line to be deported,” said Sen. John Cornyn, (R-TX).

All 52 Senate Republicans are co-sponsors of the bill along with Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA). Seven more Democrats would need to vote to overcome a filibuster. Some of them have already signaled their support.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) said he would like to see some amendments to the bill.

“If the Republicans are going to stop those who came into the country illegally from committing violent crimes, I’m with them 100 percent. But included in this bill is a penalty for shoplifting. To me, that’s not exactly in the same league as the other concerns that we share,” Senator Durbin said.

Some immigration groups are concerned that provisions in the legislation would give state attorneys general the power to dictate federal immigration policy.

“This bill would essentially empower a single Texas district court judge to create an international incident with China or India or any major trading partner,” said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, Senior Fellow at the American Immigration Council. “I think it’s a very big concern. Even if you agree to the terms of the detention law.”