The Laken Riley Act defeated the legislative filibuster in Thursday's procedural vote and advanced to a final vote with more than 60 votes.
The measure passed the filibuster by an 84-9 margin. Democrats who voted against were Sen. Cory Booker (D.N.J.), Sen. Maisie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Sen. Andy Kim (D.N.J.), and Sen. Ed Markey (D.N.J.). (Massachusetts), Sen. Jeff Merkley (Oregon), Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Tina Smith (D-Minnesota), Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts)
The immigration bill was quickly reintroduced in the new Congress by Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) in the Senate and Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) in the House.
“Today's vote on the Laken Riley Act is an important step toward making our country safer, but there is still work to be done to get this commonsense bill across the finish line,” Britt said in a statement after the vote. remains,” he said.
“Mr. Laken's horrific murder should never have happened. We cannot bring him back, but to save American lives and prevent this tragedy from happening again, Congress will pass the Laken-Reilly Act. We can and must. Congress has a duty to Mr. Laken, his family, and the American people.''We will travel to every corner of our country to pass and sign this bill into law. Let's. ”
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The Republican Laken Riley Act defeated the filibuster with the help of some Democrats. (Reuters)
The bill is named after a 22-year-old Augusta University nursing student who was found dead on the University of Georgia campus in February. Jose Ibarra is a 26-year-old illegal immigrant. was convicted of a crime A total of 10 charges, including felony murder. He initially pleaded not guilty but was ultimately sentenced to life in prison without parole in November.
Britt and Collins' bill would require: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Arrest illegal immigrants who commit theft, robbery, shoplifting, etc. and detain them until they are deported. Under the law, states would also have the right to bring civil lawsuits against members of the federal government who fail to enforce immigration laws.
The bill was celebrated by new Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R.S., in what was expected to be the Senate's first major vote.
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Republicans are on the brink of a trifecta in Washington and are pushing to pass the Laken-Riley Act. (Getty Images)
With all Senate Republicans on board, it was initially unclear whether they would get enough Democrats to pass the bill and pass the filibuster threshold of 60 votes. But Democratic support began to snowball after Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman first announced he would vote yes. Both he and Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) chose to co-sponsor the bill.
Fox News confirmed that as of Thursday morning, at least 13 Democratic senators had said they would vote to advance the bill.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Gallego, Sen. Gary Peters (Michigan), Sen. John Hickenlooper (Colorado), Angus. -Senator King, I-Maine, and Jeanne Shaheen, D.N.H. , Sens. Jon Ossoff, R-Ga., Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., Raphael Warnock, R-Ga., Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., and Fetterman each said they would vote yes on the procedural hurdles.
On the Senate floor, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York also said he would vote to advance the bill. He explained that he would vote in favor of the closure motion to provide an opportunity for debate and for Democrats to introduce amendments. Additionally, Democratic leaders said they believed the bill had enough votes to break the filibuster.
However, some Democratic lawmakers maintained resistance to the bill. “I fully support the idea of stopping violent criminals who threaten the security of our country,” Booker told reporters. “But this bill has so many flaws.”
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Mr. Fetterman co-sponsored the bill. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc, via Getty Images)
Additionally, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said he would likely support moving the bill forward.
This is not a guarantee that all Democrats will vote for final passage of the bill. However, while a final vote would only require a simple majority to pass, a cloture vote would have required 60 votes.
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Ossoff is seeking re-election in Georgia. (Jessica McGowan/Getty Images)
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The successful filibuster effectively ensures that the Republican immigration priority bill will be sent to President-elect Trump's desk and ultimately passed.
A handful of Democratic lawmakers who helped advance the bill are up for re-election in potentially competitive states in 2026. They include Ossoff, Shaheen, Peters and Hickenlooper.
