While immigration reform and border security were cornerstone issues of President Donald Trump’s victorious 2024 campaign, he’s not the only one in D.C. working toward protecting Americans from the unchecked migrant surge of the past four years.
One bill aimed at accomplishing that goal had already passed in the U.S. House of Representatives, and just hours after Trump was inaugurated on Monday it was approved by the full Senate.
The Laken Riley Act just passed the Senate! This lifesaving bill heads back to the House for final approval.
Thank you for the incredible support and heartfelt prayers from across the nation—you helped get this done. Looking forward to President Trump signing it into law.
— Katie Britt (@KatieBrittforAL) January 20, 2025
As The Hill reported:
Senators voted 64-35 on the bill. Twelve Democrats voted with every Republican.
The legislation has been demonized by many on the left, apparently leading a number of Americans to instinctively oppose it without knowing what it would actually accomplish:
The Laken Riley Act as it's written is an assault on due process and our constitutional rights, Sen Murray (D-WA) breaks it down👇Even ICE slammed the bill saying it would be impossible to execute. Call your Senators and tell them #NoRacialProfilingLaws pic.twitter.com/zuyHTWWaUM
— Brian Cardone 🏴☠️🇺🇦 (@cardon_brian) January 17, 2025
This is nuts people out here protesting the Laken Riley Bill but don’t even know who Laken Riley is.
— Based DK (@Back_2TheMiddle) January 18, 2025
Several high-profile supporters of the bill, including Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) who introduced it in the Senate, celebrated its passage despite the political backlash:
The very first thing the Senate did after President Trump’s inauguration is pass the Laken Riley Act. The momentum @realDonaldTrump built is the reason this is possible, and it will be the very first bill he signs into law. pic.twitter.com/s3TWg5iQk4
— Senator Katie Boyd Britt (@SenKatieBritt) January 21, 2025
The Daily Caller provided additional coverage of the bill’s journey from the House to the Senate:
The Laken Riley Act ended up passing the House in a 264-159 vote with every Republican voting in favor of it. 48 Democrats ended up voting in favor of the bill.
Jose Antonio Ibarra, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela who illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border, was convicted in November of killing Riley, 22. He was arrested by University of Georgia police.
Ahead of the vote, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said on the Senate floor that he believes he empowered members to discuss and deliberate the legislation as promised.
“Mr. President, when I was elected majority leader, I talked about my commitment to empowering members and restoring the Senate as a place of discussion and deliberation. I think we achieved that this past week. We have had an extended debate on the Laken Riley Act, with multiple amendment votes already, and we passed Senator Cornyn’s amendment with a strong bipartisan margin,” Thune said.
Here’s some Fox News coverage of the Senate’s busy post-inauguration Monday:
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