WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would significantly expand mandatory detention requirements for immigrants accused and arrested, among others. for minor crimes.
W 263-156 vote46 Democrats in the House of Representatives voted with Republicans to send the bill, P. 5to President Donald Trump’s desk to sign the bill. The adoption of this solution gave Trump – who campaigned on limiting immigration and promised mass deportations – a quick presidential victory even after less than a week of his second term.
The bill proposed by the Republican Party is named after 22-year-old nursing student from Georgia, Laken Riley. Immigration officials concluded that the man convicted of her murder had entered the country without proper authorization and was later charged with shoplifting in the United States.
“I am proud that Laken Riley’s bill will be the first landmark legislation President Trump signs, and it is proof that President Trump and the Republican majority in the Senate are ready to turn promises made into promises kept.” of Alabama, Katie Britt, who led the bill, said in a statement.
Many lawyers and immigration advocates have argued passage of the bill would reinforce Trump’s promise of mass deportations because it would require mandatory detention of immigrants without an immigration judge’s ability to grant bail.
Additionally, there is no carve-out for immigrant children in the bill, which means that if they are charged or charged with shoplifting, the bill will require them to be detained.
And while the bill aims to target immigrants who are in the country without proper authorization, immigration lawyers argue that some immigrants with legal status could also fall into the trap.
Another concerning provision that some Democrats and immigration lawyers point to is the broad legal standing the bill gives state attorneys general to challenge federal immigration policy and immigration judges’ bail decisions.
The same authority could also force the Secretary of State to stop issuing visas internationally.
There is also the issue of resources. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement estimated that enforcement costs would be at least $26.9 billion in its first year. according to NPR. ICE’s budget for fiscal year 2024 is approximately $9 billion.
Twelve Senate Democrats joined Republicans pass the bill from the upper room on Monday. The House has already passed the bill earlier this monthbut as the act was amended in the Senate, it returned to the House for final passage.
Senate Democrats included: Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly of Arizona, Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock of Georgia, Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, Jacky Rosen of Nevada and Mark Warner from Virginia.
Most Senate Democrats are running for re-election in 2026 or are from a battleground state that Trump won in November.
Senators also agreed to add two amendments to the bill that would further expand mandatory arrest requirements.
One amendment Texas GOP Sen. John Cornyn requires mandatory detention for assaulting a law enforcement officer. Other from Republican Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa includes mandatory detention requirements that apply in the event of solemn harm or death to a person.
Last updated: 18:02, January 22, 2025
