Congress authorizes Laken Riley Act to deport immigrants accused of crimes

The House on Wednesday gave final approval to a bill that would require the detention and deportation of migrants who enter the country without authorization and are charged with certain crimes, making it the first bill to approve the new Congress and heading to President Trump’s desk for his term. signature.

The final vote, 263 to 156, capped the first salvo of a broader Trump-era crackdown on immigration and undocumented migrants that the president had promised, championed by Republicans, and that a small but growing group of Democrats has begun to adopt. Forty-six House Democrats joined all Republicans in supporting it, a sign of growing cross-party consensus for a tougher line on those who enter the country illegally.

The bill is almost certain to be quickly signed by Mr. Trump, who began his second term on Monday by issuing a series of executive orders that launched his immigration crackdown, cracking down on legal and illegal entries into the United States. .

Wednesday’s measure, called the Laken Riley Act, is named after a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student who was killed last year by a Venezuelan migrant who entered the United States illegally. The man had previously been arrested in a shoplifting case, but had not been arrested.

The House gave its blessing after the Senate spent the past week debating changes to the bill, exposing deep divisions among Democrats on immigration. Some Democrats have moved to the right on this issue after their party’s election defeats in November, arguing that they must adopt fundamental measures to punish illegal acts, even if they disagree with some details. But others forcefully opposed the bill, saying it would deprive accused criminals of due process, a fundamental principle of the criminal justice system, and that it primarily aimed to demonize illegal immigrants.

The law requires federal officials to detain illegal immigrants arrested or charged with burglary, theft, shoplifting, assault on a police officer or crimes resulting in death or serious bodily injury, expanding the list charges that would subject migrants to immediate detention. and possible expulsion.