A significant number of Senate Democrats voted with Republicans to move forward with the Laken Riley Act, which aims to require the custody of illegal aliens convicted of certain crimes. This bipartisan support marks a shift in approach to immigration within the Democratic party.
Thirty-three Senate Democrats voted with Republicans Thursday to clear a key procedural hurdle on the Laken Riley Act. The 84-9 vote easily cleared the 60-vote threshold to allow a vote to debate on the legislation – and potential amendments. The Laken Riley Act would require DHS to take into custody illegal aliens arrested, charged, or convicted for burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting.
The bill, named after the 22-year-old nursing student who was brutally murdered, has been championed by Republicans. This is an important issue. We should have a debate and amendments,” Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said from the Senate floor before voting for the measure. “To remind my colleagues, this is not a vote on the bill itself. It is a motion to proceed, a vote that says we should have a debate and should have amendments.” As Majority Leader last year, Schumer blocked the Laken Riley Act from consideration on the floor, so his vote to proceed to the bill is significant. Democrats are wrestling with how to approach immigration and the border after President-elect Donald Trump battered President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris over the issue last year. The Senate is expected to vote Monday evening on the motion to proceed to the bill, after which point many Democrats will want to amend the bill. The bill appears to have enough support to pass in its unamended form, and it is uncertain what strategy Democrats will take with regards to pursuing amendments. Potential amendments could range from good faith efforts to tweak the bill to much broader immigration efforts like protecting DREAMers., according to NBC News. “The underlying bill looks like a not well-constructed piece of legislation. But we could potentially make it better.”Democrats said they hope to see changes relating to the expansion of powers for state attorneys general and on the language that requires undocumented immigrants to be held by federal authorities even if the charges against them are dropped. Some also hoped to extend certain protections to Dreamers. “Under the current language, if someone is arrested, they go into detention. I would prefer convicted. Arrested is too broad an opening and there’s no due process after arrest,” King (I-ME) said. “But the underlying purpose of the bill, I’m sympathetic to.” The bill’s final form and prospects for passage are uncertain, but working with Republicans on the prickly migration issue is more than most Democrats were willing to do during Trump’s first term. Democrats’ reluctant willingness to engage, even if born of political necessity, demonstrates Trump may be able to score legislative wins on his key issue
IMMIGRATION DEMOCRATS REPUBLICANS Lakenrileyact SENATE BORDER SECURITY DONALD TRUMP
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