Washington DC:
In President Donald Trump’s first legislative victory, Congress on Wednesday gave final approval to a Republican-led bill that would require the detention and deportation of undocumented immigrants who enter the country without authorization and are charged with certain crimes. The bill, titled the Laken Riley Act, caps off the president’s opening salvo in a far-reaching immigration crackdown promised.
The bill passed by a vote of 263-156, with 46 Democrats voting in favor, as there is growing bipartisan consensus around taking a tough approach against people who enter the United States illegally. It is a sign that there is.
The bill is named after a 22-year-old Georgia student who was killed while fleeing last year. An illegal immigrant from Venezuela has been convicted and sentenced to life in prison without parole. The convict had previously been arrested in a shoplifting incident, but was not in custody. Laken Riley’s case has reignited the debate over immigration and crime in the United States.
Under the provisions of this bill, the Department of Homeland Security may detain illegal aliens, who are people who are in the United States illegally or without legal status, if they are charged, arrested, convicted, or confess. It is mandatory to do so. The New York Times reports that it includes certain criminal offenses such as theft and robbery.
After the Senate debated changes to the bill last week, the House passed the bill, reportedly expanding the list of criminal offenses covered by the bill and including assaults on law enforcement officers that result in death or serious injury. An amendment was adopted to include the crime of inflicting a crime.
After winning three consecutive victories, the Republican Party has made passing the bill a top priority. Still, Republicans control only a narrow majority and would not have been able to advance to final passage without support from key Democrats.
According to media reports, Democratic lawmakers who opposed the bill argued that it could undermine U.S. foreign policy by giving state attorneys general and federal judges overly expansive powers to block visas. . The bill passes Congress and reaches President Trump’s office, but the president, who began his second term on Monday with a slew of executive orders to crack down on immigration, still faces hurdles to implementation. be.
The Laken-Reilly Act would require more preparation time and increased funding, CNN reported. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said in a memo to lawmakers this month that “ICE will not be able to fully implement it within its existing resources.”
The agency estimates that 110,000 additional beds would be needed to support the population covered by the new law, far exceeding current inventory. ICE has received funding for 41,500 detention beds and has already detained more than 39,000 people through December.
The agency said the estimated initial cost of $3.2 billion to implement the law “does not represent the full cost of implementation.”
“If additional resources are provided, a ramp-up period will be required due to implementation challenges such as hiring, detention bed availability, contracting/acquisition schedules, etc.,” the memo states. .
