The Home voted at 1 p.m. Tuesday on the Laken Riley Act, passing the invoice as its first piece of laws of the 119th Congress on a vote of 264 to 159.
Forty-eight Democrats voted in favor of the invoice.
“Laken Riley was brutally murdered by an unlawful alien that President Biden and the Democrats let into this nation with their open border coverage,” Home Speaker Mike Johnson stated in a press release after the vote. “It’s arduous to consider after numerous horrific tales like Laken’s, ANY Home Democrats would vote towards deporting unlawful aliens who commit violent crimes towards Americans.
“However 159 simply did, demonstrating some Democrats have ignored the loud and clear message from voters on this election who demanded safe borders, the deportation of violent unlawful aliens, and legal guidelines that put the security and safety of the American individuals first,” he added.
Reintroduced by Georgia Rep. Mike Collins, a Republican, the laws pins Riley’s dying on the Biden administration’s open-border insurance policies and grants energy to attorneys basic to sue the federal authorities if they will present their states are being harmed over failure to implement nationwide immigration insurance policies. The measure additionally permits states to sue the Division of Homeland Safety for hurt induced to residents allegedly because of unlawful immigration.
The invoice was named after Riley, a nursing scholar who was murdered by illegal immigrant Jose Ibarra whereas jogging on campus on the College of Georgia. Ibarra was sentenced to life in jail for the homicide.
“The one factor President Biden did after Laken’s tragic dying was apologize for calling her assassin an unlawful,” Johnson stated forward of the vote. “That is outrageous. Everyone knows the true sufferer right here was younger Laken. There are actual penalties to coverage choices. This one was lethal.”
On this March 9, 2024, file picture, a supporter holds a poster with a photograph of Laken Riley earlier than Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a marketing campaign rally in Rome Ga.
Mike Stewart/AP, FILE
The Home beforehand handed the invoice in March by a vote of 251-170, with 37 Democrats voting in favor. The invoice was anticipated to cross once more with bipartisan help.
“Home Republicans heard the voices of those that needed change and voted to cross the Laken Riley Act,” Johnson stated Tuesday. “We are going to all the time struggle to guard Individuals, and as we speak’s success is just the start of Republican efforts to undo the catastrophic injury attributable to years of the Democrats’ failed management.”
The measure now heads to the Senate, the place Majority Chief John Thune teed up a procedural vote on the Laken Riley Act, which might happen as quickly as this week. Will probably be one of many first legislative actions taken by the brand new Senate.
The invoice will want 60 votes to advance by means of the higher chamber. Even with the Republicans’ new 53-vote majority, it might show troublesome to courtroom the mandatory Democratic help to advance it.
Thus far, just one Democrat, Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, is reportedly co-sponsoring the invoice, which is being led within the chamber by Sens. Katie Britt, R-Ala., and Ted Budd, R-N.C. It’s unclear whether or not there might be requisite Democratic help to clear the Senate.
The Senate, underneath Democratic management final session, by no means thought-about the act as a standalone invoice. However it beforehand thought-about the Laken Riley Act when Senate Republicans pressured a vote on it as an modification to a sweeping authorities funding bundle in March. The modification was thought-about as a authorities shutdown loomed, and modifications to the invoice would have possible pressured a authorities shutdown.
No Democrats voted for it on the time, although it later earned the support of Montana Sen. Jon Tester, who misplaced reelection to Republican Sen. Tim Sheehy.
