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U.S. Senator Katie Britt, R-Ala., has announced that the Laken Riley Act will be reintroduced as her first piece of legislation in the 119th Congress.
Riley was killed in February 2024 by an undocumented immigrant who had previously been arrested for theft and subsequently released.
The bill would require Immigration and Customs Enforcement to arrest and detain illegal immigrants who have been charged with or convicted of theft, burglary or shoplifting until they are deported. Additionally, states would have standing under the legislation to take civil action against federal government members who do not enforce immigration law when the financial harm to the state or its residents exceeds $100.
The bill passed the House last session but never received a vote on the Senate floor. Britt widely attributed this to the Democratic Party’s “Summer of Scare Tactics.” The House voted on Tuesday to pass the bill as the first bill of a new Congress, but the measure faces an uncertain future in the Senate. The legislation will likely be put up for a vote at the end of this week.
While the Laken Riley Act has received some bipartisan support in the House and in the Senate, it has attracted criticism from Democrats due to the possibility of increases in racial profiling as well as baseless accusations.
During a press call with reporters on Tuesday, Britt reiterated the need for her colleagues across the aisle to support the bill.
“But Republicans are in the majority now. Democrats aren’t going to be able to hide on this issue anymore, and Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are on their way out. Democrats no longer have to pretend that their border policies weren’t a complete disaster. So this is their opportunity to prove that they heard voters in November and that they’re ready to support commonsense, bipartisan solutions.” said Britt
This year, the bill passed the House with 48 Democrats voting in support of the bill, compared to the 37 who voted in support last session.
“I also know that two of my Senate Democratic colleagues voted to support this legislation in the House last year. This bill shouldn’t get just 60 votes, it’s my belief that it should get over 90,” said Britt.
