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A number of Senate Democrats say they will vote in favor of a bill that would require federal authorities to detain illegal immigrants found guilty of theft, raising the bill’s chances of passing the upper house.
At least 10 Senate Democrats are expected to vote to advance the bill to the upper chamber, giving it the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster if all Republicans vote in favor. Debate on the bill would then begin, and eventually it would have a vote on final passage, where it would only need 51 votes to pass and send it to the president’s desk.
sense Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., Gary Peters, D-Mich., John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., Angus King, I-Maine, Jeanne Shaheen, DN.H., Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich. and John Fetterman, D-Pa., have all said they will support advancing the bill. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said he is likely to support moving the bill forward.
LAKEN RILEY ACT PASSES HOUSE WITH 48 DEMS, ALL REPUBLICANS
Senator Mark Kelly on Capitol Hill in Washington, March 15, 2023. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
“You know, I plan, I plan to support it. Because if you’re a criminal, you should be held accountable,” Rosen said.
Hickenlooper’s office said he will vote because the bill will proceed to amend it, but he “does not support the Laken Riley Act in its current form.”
A senior GOP member told Fox News Digital they believe they have the votes to proceed with a full debate. Kelly echoed those comments.
“Yeah, I think he will,” he said when asked by Fox if he will get more than 60 votes.
Jose Ibarra, left, was found guilty of 10 charges in the death of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, right. (Hyosub Shin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP, Pool)
Laken Riley Actwhich passed in the House on Tuesday with 48 Democrats vote in favor, named after a nursing student killed by an illegal Venezuelan immigrant on the University of Georgia campus last year.
Not only does it require the feds to detain illegal immigrants guilty of burglary, theft, or robbery until they are deported, it also allows states to sue the Department of Homeland Security for harm to their citizens caused by illegal immigration. legal Riley’s killer, Jose Ibarra, had prior arrests, including for robbery, but had never been detained by ICE.
HOUSE, SENATE REPUBLICANS REVIVE TRUMP’S PUSH FOR NON-CITIZEN VOTING
It was the first House bill of the new Congress and signals how cracking down on illegal immigration, both at the border and at home, is likely to be a top priority for Republicans and some Democrats.
President-elect Trump won his presidential campaign in part by focusing on the border crisis that had dogged the Biden administration before a recent sharp drop in numbers. Trump has vowed to wage a “historic” mass deportation campaign, and his team has indicated they intend to push back on “sanctuary” cities that refuse to comply with ICE.
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Some Democrats who say they will support the bill have a re-election fight. Senators Shaheen, Peters, Ossoff and Hickenlooper are all up for re-election in 2026 and illegal immigration could again be a crucial issue as it was in many races in 2024.
Elizabeth Elkind of Fox News contributed to this report.
