By Brendan Scanland
WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Tuesday, the U.S. House passed its first bill of the 119th Congress, the Laken Riley Act.
The legislation deals with a key campaign priority for Republicans in the 2024 elections: border security.
The bill requires Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to arrest and detain illegal immigrants who commit burglary, theft and other crimes. It also allows a state to sue the federal government for not enforcing the border laws, particularly in the case of parole.
The legislation is named after 22-year-old Laken Riley, a nursing student from Georgia, who was killed by an illegal Venezuelan immigrant in February 2024. Riley’s death received national attention and became a focal point in the 2024 Presidential Election.
“Laken Riley passed because of the actions of someone who had been detained beforehand and had been released and should not have been on the street,” said Rep. Jack Bergman (R- MI).
With a soon-to-be Republican trifecta in Washington, after President-elect Donald Trump is inaugurated on Jan. 20, Congressman Bergman and House Republicans took the first step to fulfil a key campaign promise Tuesday.
“The Laken Riley Act is the next first step going forward to ensure our citizens are safe and secure,” said Bergman.
It’s no coincidence this was the first bill passed in the 119th Congress. Bergman says it’s a sign of what’s to come.
“This Congress, the 119th, is going to really focus on commonsense. Let’s use commonsense to find common ground for the common good,” said Bergman.
The bill was considered in the House last year and received support from 37 Democrats. When asked about the 48 Democrats who voted for the measure this time around, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D- NY) said his conference looks forward to finding commonsense solutions.
“House Democrats look forward to working with the incoming administration and our Republican colleagues on securing the border in a commonsense manner and fixing our broken immigration system in a bipartisan and comprehensive way,” said Leader Jeffries during a press conference Wednesday.
Some Democrats in the Senate have opted in to cosponsoring the legislation in the upper chamber.
“I support a secure border. I support a legal path for dreamers. I support the Laken Riley Act,” said Senator John Fetterman (D- PA), a cosponsor of the legislation, in a post Tuesday on the social media platform X.
Freshman Sen. Ruben Gallego (D- AZ) also expressed his support for the legislation. A handful of additional Senate Democrats said they too may support the act, which will need to clear a 60-vote threshold to pass the Senate. A vote is expected on Friday.
