Although House Democrats as a whole voted against the Laken-Reilly Act, several Democratic senators joined with Republicans to support key immigration legislation.
The House formally passed the Laken-Reilly Act on Tuesday with support from 216 Republicans and 48 Democrats. At the same time, 159 Democrats voted against the bill. The bill, named after a 22-year-old nursing student killed by an illegal alien, would require the detention of illegal aliens charged with theft-related crimes.
“We must give law enforcement the tools to take action to prevent tragedies like the one that happened to Laken Riley.”
Notably, support for this bill has increased compared to the previous Congress, when only 37 Democrats voted in favor of the bill. In the 119th Congress, there was not only an 11-vote increase among House Democrats, but also some support from Senate Democrats.
Newly elected Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona voted for the bill while in the House and has publicly pledged to support the Laken-Reilly Act in the Senate.
“Not only am I voting yes on the Laken Riley Act, I am also a co-sponsor of the bill,” Gallego said. said In a post on Wednesday's We must give them the means to do so.”
“The story of Laken Riley is a tragic reminder of what is at stake when our systems fail to protect people.”
Mr. Gallego's freshman colleague, newly elected Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, also voted to pass the bill in the 118th Congress, breaking away from a party-line vote.
Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman, a frequent party defector, is also a co-sponsor of the bill, calling Laken Riley's murder an incident of “preventable violence.”
“The story of Laken Riley is a tragic reminder of what is at stake when our systems fail to protect people,” Fetterman said. said. “No family should have to endure the pain of losing a loved one to preventable violence. Immigrants are what made this country great, and while we work toward comprehensive solutions to our broken systems, this I support giving authorities the tools to prevent tragedies like this.”
“ICE has reported tens of thousands of immigrants with criminal records, including murder and sexual assault,” Fetterman said. added. “A total of 425,000 people have criminal records and should be deported. I support secure borders. I support a legal path for Dreamers. I support the Laken Riley Act.”
The Laken-Riley Act passed the House of Representatives in the 118th Congress, but the Democratic-controlled Senate did not take up the bill. This time, the bill is likely to pass in the Republican-controlled Senate with the help of Democratic defectors.
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