In an effort to carry out President-elect Donald J. Trump’s promised crackdown at the border, the House passed a bill on Tuesday that would target undocumented immigrants charged with nonviolent crimes for deportation. The bill, which received support from all Republicans and 48 Democrats, appears to be headed towards enactment after receiving bipartisan support in the Senate, which is scheduled to consider it on Friday.
The bill is named after Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student who was killed in Georgia last year by a migrant who had entered the country illegally. The immigrant was arrested, and charged with shoplifting but was not detained.
Emboldened by the governing trifecta they will wield when Mr. Trump assumes office on January 20, Republicans in Congress are using their power to resurrect and pass a number of border security measures that died during the previous Congress in the Senate, which is controlled by Democrats.
The No. 3 Republican, Representative Tom Emmer of Minnesota, told reporters on Tuesday that the plan is more than simply a piece of law; it’s a return to American principles based on common sense. “And a lot more where that came from will be under President Trump’s leadership.”
Furthermore, the bipartisan vote, 264 to 159, demonstrated how some Democrats are reevaluating their positions on topics like immigration while preparing for a much harsher approach under Mr. Trump. They were hurt by their party’s electoral losses in November..
“While we work on comprehensive solutions to our broken system, I support giving authorities the tools to prevent tragedies like this one,” Pennsylvania Democrat Senator John Fetterman said in a statement supporting the legislation on Tuesday.
To get a vote on the legislation, Republicans, who hold 53 Senate seats, would need seven Democrats to support its adoption. Last year, the proposal was approved by Democratic senators Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Ruben Gallego of Arizona, who were elected in November. The law would expand the list of offences for which undocumented immigrants might be detained and possibly deported by requiring federal officials to hold them in custody if they are accused of burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting. It targets individuals such as Jose Antonio Ibarra, the Venezuelan who killed Ms. Riley and was sentenced to life in prison in November.
Representative Mike Collins, a Republican from Georgia and the bill’s sponsor, stated on the floor that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is now unable to apprehend and deport the criminals who commit these minor offences. “We must remove these individuals off the streets. As our communities grow increasingly dangerous, these criminals are becoming more and more brazen.
Many Democrats have claimed that the new category is overly inclusive and may lead to the arrest of innocent persons.
