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Senate to Vote on Laken Riley Act, Aiming to Detain Undocumented Immigrants for Theft-Related Crimes

Jan 8, 2025, 08:00 PM

The U.S. Senate is poised to vote on the Laken Riley Act, a bill that has garnered bipartisan support and aims to mandate the detention of undocumented immigrants accused of theft-related crimes. Named after Laken Riley, a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student from Augusta University who was murdered by Jose Ibarra, an undocumented immigrant later sentenced to life without parole, the legislation passed the House with a vote of 264-159, with 48 Democrats joining Republicans. Senators Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly of Arizona, along with other Democrats including John Fetterman, Gary Peters, Jacky Rosen, John Hickenlooper, Angus King, and Elissa Slotkin, have announced their support for the bill, indicating it may overcome a filibuster with at least 60 votes. The bill seeks to empower federal immigration authorities to detain undocumented immigrants charged with theft until deportation and allows states to sue the federal government over immigration policies causing harm to their residents. Critics argue that the bill could lead to racial profiling and increased incarceration without due process.