- The Senate beat the filibuster to advance the GOP-led Laken Riley Act, a bill concerning immigration policy and criminal accountability.
- Despite initial uncertainty, strong Democratic support, including that of Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, helped to move the bill forward.
- Sen. Mike Lee reintroduced America First Act, a measure focused on limiting welfare access for 'paroled' migrants.
A GOP-led bill that would hold migrants in the country illegal accountable for committing crimes gained momentum in the Senate and beat the filibuster in an 84 to 9 vote Thursday.
Utah Republican Sens. Mike Lee and John Curtis voted in favor of the Laken Riley Act, which would require the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to take an undocumented migrant into custody if charged with theft or other crimes.
Curtis, in a statement posted on X, said it was “a step toward justice for victims like Laken, whose tragic death was preventable.”
“Our broken immigration system has caused immense pain, and we must act to secure our borders and protect our communities,” he added.
The Laken Riley Act is named for a Georgia nursing student who was killed by a migrant in the country illegally.
At first, it seemed unclear if Republicans had enough Democratic support to push past the 60-vote filibuster threshold. But only nine Democratic senators voted against moving forward with the legislation. Meanwhile, most Democrats, including Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, voted in favor.
But Schumer clarified, “This is an important issue. We should have a debate and amendments,” adding, “To remind my colleagues, this is not a vote on the bill itself.”
Schumer blocked a Senate vote on the bill while serving as the majority leader in the last Congress. Why are Democrats changing their tune? The answer lies in the outcome of the recent election.
Why are Democrats supporting a GOP immigration bill?
Although this bill passed the GOP-controlled House last Congress and was stymied in the Senate, that isn’t the case anymore. A handful of Democrats even signed onto the bill’s long list of sponsors. They include Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego of Arizona, Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Gary Peters, D-Mich., John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., Angus King, I-Maine, Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc., and John Fetterman, D-Pa. Most of them represent swing states, and some have border towns.
Digging into the exit poll data from the 2024 election, voters from these states made it clear they weren’t happy with the Democrats’ handling of the southern border, as the Deseret News previously reported.
Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., reintroduced the Laken Riley Act in the Senate. Like Curtis, she also considers it a “step forward in making our country safer,” as she noted in a statement following the vote. “But there’s still more work to be done to get this commonsense legislation across the finish line,” she added.
“While we cannot bring Laken back, Congress can and must pass the Laken Riley Act to save American lives and prevent this tragedy from repeating itself,” she said.
Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, who opposed the vote, acknowledged the appetite for changes to immigration policy, “but this bill is just not very well crafted, and I think we could do a bipartisan bill.” There’s also talk of whether this bill would be amended to protect Dreamers, undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children.
The bill passed by a vote of 264 to 159 in the House Wednesday, and all four of Utah’s Congressional delegates voted in favor.
Sen. Mike Lee buckles down for immigration reform after Trump’s inauguration
As the Senate inches forward with finalizing this bill ahead of President-elect Donald Trump taking office, Lee is laying the groundwork for more border and immigration-related legislation.
In a post on X Thursday, Lee said he reintroduced the America First Act, which would prevent “paroled” migrants from accessing welfare and other benefits meant for American citizens.
Parole allows certain undocumented migrants to enter and stay in the U.S., even if they don’t have a legal basis to do so. It’s typically granted for humanitarian reasons.
Under the Biden administration, the number of migrants eligible for parole expanded to include relatives of U.S. military members, Filipino World War II veterans, Colombians, Cubans, Ecuadorians, El Salvadorians, Guatemalans and Haitians to allow reunification with their families in the U.S.
“Biden’s massive abuse of parole for millions of illegal immigrants has allowed them to access welfare and other government benefits meant for American citizens. It’s going to stop,” Lee said.
He also plans to reintroduce the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE, Act, which would make it more difficult for noncitizens to vote in federal elections and enhance election security by requiring voters to provide proof of U.S. citizenship when they register.