Congress Passes Laken Riley Act

The House of Representatives on Wednesday gave final approval to the Laken Riley Act in a 263-156 vote. The bill requires that undocumented migrants charged with certain crimes be immediately detained and possibly deported, and is named for Riley, the 22-year-old Georgia nursing student murdered by an undocumented migrant from Venezuela last year. Forty-six Democrats joined Republicans in voting for the bill, reports CNN, which notes congressional Republicans chose this as the first bill of the new Congress and second Trump administration. The Senate passed the bill Monday after making changes to it last week, the New York Times reports. The vote was 64-35, with 12 Democrats in favor. It will head to the White House for President Trump's signature next week.

CNN notes the bipartisan support "signals a notable shift" for Democrats, and the Times says that after their losses in the November election, some Democrats have moved to the right on the issue of immigration, feeling "they must embrace basic steps to punish unlawfulness, even if they disagree with some of the details." The crimes that call for an undocumented migrant's detention include theft, shoplifting, and burglary along with a number of violent crimes. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has said it will need more resources in order to fully implement the act. (More Laken Riley stories.)