WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Laken Riley Act, an immigration bill sponsored by U.S. Senator Katie Britt, R-Ala., cleared its final procedural hurdle Friday, setting it up for a vote this week.
The legislation will require Immigration and Customs Enforcement to detain undocumented immigrants who commit crimes such as burglary or shoplifting. Republicans have used the Laken Riley Act to show their commitment to tackling immigration in the 119th Congress.
The Senate voted 61-35 to end debate on the bill with 10 Democratic senators joining Republicans.
The bill is named after Laken Riley, a Georgia nursing student who was killed while on a jog by a Venezuelan man last year.
“This bipartisan, bicameral legislation will save lives, and it will help prevent another American family from feeling the pain Laken Riley’s loved ones feel every day,” Britt said in a statement.
The bill also allows for state attorneys general to sue the Department of Homeland Security if they violate immigration law. The legislation was amended last week to add the mandatory detention of undocumented immigrants who commit assault on a law enforcement officer.
Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., told Alabama Daily News that what Riley’s family has been through is awful and said he hopes the bill will be a good step toward tackling immigration.
“We’ve got to put people back in charge and that’s what this bill does,” Tuberville said. “It gives the authority back to the police, ICE and people that have an opportunity to stop this nonsense.”
The House passed the Laken Riley Act 264-159 on Jan. 7. It also had some bipartisan support with 48 House Democrats joining Republicans including Reps. Shomari Figures, D-Mobile and Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham. If the bill passes in the Senate, it will be sent back to the House for another vote since it has been amended.
A final Senate vote will take place Monday at 5:30 p.m. after inauguration.