Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., supports an immigration bill named after late Georgia college student Laken Riley, despite previously helping to block the bill, ahead of a tough re-election battle. are doing.
“Keeping Montanans safe is my top priority. That’s why I reiterate my call on the Biden administration and Congress to do more to secure our southern border and support the bravery of law enforcement. We’ve worked to ensure that men and women have what they need to protect criminals from getting off our streets,” the Montana Democrat said in a statement.
He explained that support for the bill came “after hearing from law enforcement officers across the state of Montana.”
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Laken Riley poses for a photo to post on Facebook. Riley, a nursing student at the University of Georgia, was found dead near a lake on campus on Thursday, February 22, 2024. (Alison Phillips/Facebook)
The bill would require Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain undocumented immigrants who commit crimes such as theft, robbery, theft and shoplifting.
Riley, a nursing student at Augusta University, was found dead on the University of Georgia campus in February. Jose Antonio Ybarra, an illegal immigrant, was arrested and charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, interfering with a 911 call, and concealing the death of another.
The 22-year-old’s death made national headlines and prompted calls, primarily from Republican lawmakers, to strengthen the southern border and tighten U.S. immigration policies.
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Tester voted against the $1.2 trillion spending package amendment and similar legislation. (Anna Moneymaker)
Republicans were able to force a vote on a revised version of the Laken-Riley Act in the form of an amendment to the $1.2 trillion spending package in March, but it died along party lines, with Tester voting against it. .
Later, a spokesperson for Tester told the Belgrade News, a local newspaper in Montana, “Senator Tester supports the Laken Riley Act and will vote for it if it comes to the floor for a single vote.” Deaf,” he said.
However, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York is unlikely to vote on the Laken-Reilly bill.
During negotiations to vote on amendments ahead of consideration of additional packages, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) and other Republicans argued that Tester would vote on immigration legislation because of his precarious electoral position. He criticized the government for being reluctant to do so.
Borders are a top issue for voters across the country. (James Breeden, New York Post/Mega)
Testers rejected those claims.
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Reacting to the news that Tester supported the Laken Riley Act on Thursday night, Cotton told I voted against this very bill a few weeks ago. Secure Borders – not the fake election year equivalent – should be upheld. [GOP Senate candidate Tim Sheehy]. ”
Asked about the previous amendment vote, a spokesperson for Mr Tester pointed to his past commitment to supporting stand-alone legislation and said claims that Mr Tester had reversed his position on the bill were “patently false”. he told Fox News Digital.
Republican Montana Senate candidate and former Navy SEAL Tim Sheehy (left) and Democratic Montana Senate candidate Jon Tester (right). (Tim Sheehy in Montana/Getty Images)
A spokesperson called the claims “another desperate attempt to politicize our borders rather than repair them.”
The National Republican Senatorial Committee accused the vulnerable Montana Democrat of flipping out after he officially became a co-sponsor of the bill.
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“Jon Tester’s support for Joe Biden’s open borders policy is hurting his re-election campaign, so he’s flipping out,” said NRSC spokeswoman Maggie Abboud.・I cannot trust Mr. Tester.”
Tester’s race in Montana is considered one of the most competitive in the nation, with Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan political handicapper, rating the state a “toss-up.”
