The House and Senate will soon pass the first piece of legislation in the 119^th Congress, signaling their commitment to the priorities set by the incoming President’s agenda. The Laken Riley Act (H.R. 29/S. 5) gained an astounding 251-170 vote count in the House, garnering the “yes” of every voting Republican and 48 Democrats. The bipartisan support continued through the Senate, overcoming a filibuster, and soon allowing the legislative branch to send its first bill to the President’s desk.

The Act would require the Department of Homeland Security to detain illegal immigrants guilty of burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting. It is named after Laken Riley, a young woman an illegal immigrant tragically murdered last year. The killer, Jose Ibarra, had already been cited for shoplifting. Had ICE intervened and detained him, the University of Georgia (UGA) nursing student would have still been alive to celebrate her 23^rd birthday this past Friday. Congressman Mike Collins (R-Georgia-10^th) who represents Athens, Georgia, the home of UGA, sponsored the bill.

H.R. 29 also clarifies states’ grounds to seek temporary relief for federal government border failures that endanger their residents. The bill clearly establishes standing, a legal requirement under Article III of the U.S. Constitution, for a state government to sue the federal government, allowing legal intervention for injunctive relief.

The bill specifically denotes a path for injunction based on the government’s:

• decision to release a non-U.S. national from custody;
• failure to fulfill requirements relating to inspecting individuals seeking admission into the United States, including requirements related to asylum interviews;
• failure to fulfill a requirement to stop issuing visas to nationals of a country that unreasonably denies or delays acceptance of nationals of that country;
• violation of limitations on immigration parole, such as the requirement that parole be granted only on a case-by-case basis; or
• failure to detain an individual who has been ordered removed from the United States.

Sen. Katie Britt (R-Alabama) sponsored the Senate version of the bill where bipartisan support continued to swell from Senators in historically purple states. Democrat senators Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona), Mark Kelly (D-Arizona), John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania), John Ossoff (D-Georgia), Elissa Slotkin (D-Michigan), and Jocky Rosen (D-Nevada) all endorsed the bill. It passed a procedural vote 84-9 to overcome the filibuster, and a floor vote is expected early next week.

The Laken Riley Act is a clear first step towards President-Elect Donald Trump’s robust immigration agenda that promises to keep communities and families safe through a strong border. House Leadership’s decision to bring the Act as the first bill to pass the floor identifies their unified commitment to Trump’s agenda and their similarly focused eyes on the border.

“We have to take this on now,” Penny Nance told Newsmax concerning the border. Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee is grateful for Congressional action to affirm our nation’s sovereignty and work to keep our communities safe.