House passes Laken Riley Act, sends first bill to Trump’s desk 

President Donald Trump will consider the Laken Riley Act as his first bill in his second term in the White House.

The Laken Riley Act is poised to be the first bill signed into law by President Donald Trump since the GOP regained control of both chambers of Congress and the White House.

The big picture: The bill, named after nursing student Laken Riley, passed the House of Representatives with a 263 to 156 vote, supported by all voting Republicans and 48 Democrats, marking a second successful passage after the initial 264 to 159 vote on Jan. 7.

  • In a bipartisan move, the GOP-controlled Senate approved the bill with a 64 to 35 vote but introduced provisions to deport illegal immigrants involved in assaulting a police officer, causing death, or inflicting “serious bodily injury” on another individual.

Driving the news: The original bill calls for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to detain undocumented migrants accused of theft-related offenses, in addition to enabling states to file lawsuits against the Department of Homeland Security for damages caused by illegal immigration to their residents.

  • While the majority of Democrats opposed the bill, citing concerns about deporting individuals accused but not convicted of crimes, proponents argue that undocumented individuals are already in violation of U.S. law.
  • Notably, more Democrats supported the bill during its recent House passage compared to a previous vote last year. 
  • The bill, championed by Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.), includes amendments such as Sarah’s Law, focused on swiftly detaining and prosecuting illegal immigrants responsible for harming or killing American citizens, as exemplified by the tragic case of Sarah Root.

The backstory: The Act’s namesake, Laken Riley, tragically lost her life to an illegal immigrant while jogging on the University of Georgia campus, leading to increased scrutiny on immigration enforcement measures and the need for swift actions to prevent such incidents in the future.

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