Source: CNN
A GOP-led bill to require the detention of undocumented migrants charged with certain crimes is on the verge of passage in the Senate after a significant number of Democrats joined with Republicans to advance the measure in a critical vote on Friday.
The outcome of the vote reflects a major shift for Democrats as the party is under pressure over immigration in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s presidential win, which has led Democrats from competitive states and districts to say the party must do more to address voter concerns.
If the bill — called the Laken Riley Act — is signed into law, it would hand an early legislative win to Trump and congressional Republicans, who chose to bring up the measure as their first bill of the new Congress after winning the House, Senate and White House.
A vote for final passage in the US Senate could come as soon as next week.
The House passed its version of the Laken Riley Act earlier this month, and it’s expected the chamber will take up and pass the Senate version of the bill once the measure passes out of the Senate, as expected. The Senate has been working to advance its own version of the legislation, which also underwent amendment votes.
The bill would require the detention of undocumented migrants charged with theft or burglary. The legislation is named after Laken Riley, a 22-year old Georgia student who was killed last year while she was out for a run. An undocumented migrant from Venezuela was convicted and sentenced to life without parole in the case that reignited a national debate over immigration and crime.
While the bill won support from a critical mass of Democrats, it also exposed a rift in the party: Some called it a common-sense measure while others argued it would undermine civil liberties and due process and could harm public safety.
Friday’s procedural vote required 60 votes for the bill to advance, which meant that some Democrats needed to cross the aisle to vote with Republicans, who control only a 53-seat majority. The final vote was 61-35.
One controversial provision of the legislation would give state attorneys general the authority to sue in federal court over the decisions by federal officials, including immigration judges, to release certain immigrants from detention. They could also sue to force the State Department to impose visa sanctions against countries that refuse to accept nationals that are eligible for deportation.
A number of Democratic senators had initially voted to proceed to debate on the bill but said they did not support it in its current form and wanted to see a robust amendment process.
Earlier in the week, the Senate passed an amendment to the Laken Riley Act to expand the list of criminal offenses in the bill that migrants can be detained for if they are arrested to include assault on law enforcement officers. That amendment offered by GOP Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, passed with broad bipartisan support, 70-25.
A second amendment, offered by Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware, aimed to strike portions of the bill that Democratic critics said amounted to a major rewrite of immigration law. But it was rejected 46-49 in the Republican-led Senate.