The U.S. Senate is poised to vote on the controversial Laken Riley Act, an immigration bill that has gained bipartisan traction following its passage in the House earlier this week, on Friday.
Named after a Georgia nursing student killed by an undocumented migrant with prior theft charges, the legislation would expand detention policies for undocumented immigrants charged with certain crimes.
A growing number of Senate Democrats have announced their intention to support the bill, which needs eight Democratic votes to advance to debate on the Senate floor. As of now, the following Democratic Senators have publicly pledged their support:
- Jacky Rosen (Nevada)
- Tammy Duckworth (Ill.)
- John Fetterman (Pa.)
- Gary Peters (Mich.)
- Ruben Gallego (Ariz.)
- Jon Ossoff (Ga.)
- John Hickenlooper (Colo.)
- Angus King (I-Maine)
"Senator Kelly will vote for the Laken Riley Act and looks forward to working with Republicans and Democrats on it and other solutions to secure the border and fix our broken immigration system," a spokesperson for Sen. Kelly told POLITICO.
Other Democrats have stated their willingness to debate the bill, while taking issue with its current form.
"I have real concerns about it, not the least of which is it's an unfunded mandate," Sen. Duckworth told POLITICO. A spokesperson for Sen. Hickenlooper clarified that he doesn't support the present version of the bill.
The act passed the House on Tuesday with a bipartisan vote of 264-159, including support from 48 Democrats alongside all Republicans. Among the Democrats who voted "yes" were several newly elected Democrats and others who reversed their previous opposition.
The bill has drawn criticism from civil rights organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which labeled it a threat to civil liberties. Immigration attorney Bradford Bernstein joined in voicing concerns about the potential for racial profiling and misuse of charges to detain vulnerable populations.
"The ACLU's concerns about racial profiling are well-founded," Bernstein said in a statement to The Latin Times. "For instance, law enforcement or prosecutors could bring charges against individuals based on racial or religious biases, knowing that these charges would lead to immigration detainers. This could pressure individuals to accept plea deals for crimes they did not commit simply to avoid prolonged detention."
The Senate's initial procedural vote is scheduled for Friday. With support from nine Senate Democrats already confirmed, the bill is poised to pass the threshold required to advance, with more Democratic senators expected to announce their positions in the coming days.
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