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Most Senate Democrats Support ‘Laken Riley’ Act, Joining All Republicans

Updated: GOVERNMENT

A majority of Senate Democrats joined Republicans on Thursday in a robust bipartisan effort to move the Laken Riley Act forward. The cloture vote, requiring 60 senators to succeed, saw overwhelming support with 84 votes in favor, nine against, and six abstentions. The legislation is designed to crack down on illegal immigrants engaged in criminal activities while in the United States. It is the first bill of its kind before President-elect Donald Trump, who made border security and deportations cornerstones of his campaign, takes office in less than 10 days.

According to Politico, the final vote on the Laken Riley Act could occur as early as next week. Although a cloture vote does not ensure the bill’s passage, only a simple majority will be necessary to approve it. Given the strong bipartisan support shown during the cloture vote, the measure appears likely to pass smoothly, as noted by the Western Journal.

The bill is named in honor of 22-year-old Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, who was tragically murdered by an illegal immigrant while jogging in Athens last February. Reports from that time indicated she defended herself for several minutes before her attacker allegedly struck her in the head with a rock, resulting in her death. Support for the legislation has already been strong among Democrats, including Senators John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Ruben Gallego of Arizona, both co-sponsors of the bill alongside more than 50 Republicans. GOP Senator Katie Britt of Alabama introduced the legislation in the Senate.

Appearing with Britt on Wednesday on Fox News, Fetterman said, “If you’re here illegally and you’re committing crimes …  I don’t know why anybody thinks that it’s controversial, that they all need to go. There’s 47 of us in the Senate, and if we can’t pull up with seven votes [for cloture] — if we can’t get at least seven of  47 … that’s the reason why we lost. That’s one of them,” he added.

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GOP Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia, who introduced the Laken Riley Act in the House, stated in a Wednesday news release that the act will achieve two main objectives. First, “It would amend federal law to require Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to issue detainers and take custody of illegal aliens who commit theft-related crimes, such as shoplifting, as defined by state and local law.” Second, “It allows state attorneys general to sue the Secretary of Homeland Security for injunctive relief if immigration actions such as parole, violation of detention requirements, or other policy failures harm that state or its citizens.”

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