US Congress Democrats help spirit immigrant clampdown bill to Trump

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The Republican-controlled House of Representatives, with a vote of 263-156, passed and sent to Trump for signature a bill, the Laken Riley Act. It's anticipated that this will be the first of several measures taken by Republicans this year to strengthen border security and reduce the number of migrants entering the United States.

The House of Representatives passed the bill with the support of 46 Democrats and 217 Republicans. The Senate approved it earlier in the week with the assistance of 12 out of 47 Senate Democrats and independents who caucuse with them. If those 12 votes had not been obtained, the bill would have stalled in Congress for the time being.

The bill is named in memory of a college student who was killed in Georgia by a man from Venezuela who was living in the US without proper authorization and had a prior record of shoplifting. He is currently serving a life sentence in prison.

The proposed legislation demands the arrest of immigrants suspected of theft or similar offenses like shoplifting, even before any charges are filed against them.

Donald Trump won the presidential election in November after focusing heavily on immigration during his campaign, leading Republicans to prioritize his strict immigration policies.

Democrats who supported the bill stated that they were acting in response to their constituents' concerns regarding immigration.

Some more-liberal Democrats have accused the party of going too easy on immigration after the Democrats lost control of the Senate and narrowly held onto the House majority in the 2024 election.

Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar, one of the caucus's most liberal members, expressed it was a disappointment that so many Democrats backed the bill on Wednesday.

House Democratic Caucus leader Pete Aguilar stated that there hasn't been any weakening of his party's stance on immigration reform, pointing out that it's actually Republicans who have kept blocking legislation that was tough on border security and sought to bring U.S. immigration law up to date.

Aguilar said Democrats haven't altered their stance on this issue. They will continue to focus on the Dreamers, agricultural workers, and other immigrants legally residing in the U.S., he added. The termDreamers refers to immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally when they were young.

Almost a year ago, a similar bill passed the House with the backing of 37 Democrats, but stalled in the Senate, which was controlled by Democrats at the time.

Reporting by Gabriella Borter and Richard Cowan; Editing by Scott Malone and Deepa Babington