The U.S. Congress has passed the Laken Riley Act, a piece of legislation focused on crime committed by immigrants, sending it to President Donald Trump for his anticipated signature.
USA Today reported that the bill mandates the detention of immigrants lacking legal status who are involved with specified criminal activities, igniting a debate over civil rights and due process.
The Laken Riley Act was approved by Congress last Wednesday, aiming to address crime associated with immigrants who do not hold legal status in the United States.
Passed in the House of Representatives with a vote tally of 263-156, and in the Senate by 64-35, the bill drew support from both sides of the aisle. Notably, 46 Democrats in the House and 12 in the Senate voted in favor.
Under the legislation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is required to detain immigrants without legal status if they are arrested, charged, or suspected of crimes such as burglary, theft, larceny, shoplifting, or assault on officers.
Although President Trump has already focused heavily on immigration through various executive orders, this bill represents the first legislative action of his second term.
In a sign of the broader divisions within the Democratic Party, some members have voiced strong opposition. Representative Alexandria Ocasio Cortez from New York has been a vocal critic, warning that the bill permits detention and deportation without due process.
“If someone wants to point a finger and accuse someone of shoplifting, they will be rounded up and put into a private detention camp and sent out for deportation without a day in court,” she stated.
On the other side, Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene backed the bill with a different perspective, emphasizing that people entering the country illegally lack rights under U.S. law. "That's exactly why any time they break a law, any time they cross into our country, they should be rounded up and shipped out as fast as possible," Greene remarked.
Civil rights organizations have expressed concerns over the potential implications for due process under the new legislation.
Sarah Mehta of the American Civil Liberties Union has argued that the bill's language is expansive, risking the detention of individuals who have been arrested but perhaps not guilty of any criminal act. "Due process applies to everyone in the United States regardless of immigration status,” she affirmed in her critique of the pending law.
Michael Lumpkin, a commentator on immigration policies, drew attention to the logistical challenges ICE might face, stating, “Scaling up detention operations is about increasing staffing levels and funding.” This legislation does not allocate additional financial resources or staffing to ICE, which is currently responsible for managing a caseload involving millions of individuals without lawful status.
The increased workload resulting from the mandate could strain ICE resources further. Reports indicate that nearly all of the 41,500 available immigration detention beds were in use by the close of 2024, highlighting the system's limited capacity and the potential need for additional spaces and personnel.
Critics of the bill also point out existing research suggesting that immigrants are not statistically more likely to commit crimes compared to citizens.
However, proponents argue that the legislation is a necessary measure to strengthen national security and enforce immigration laws more rigorously.
Sen. Ruben Gallego, a Democrat, co-sponsored the act alongside a Republican senator, illustrating a complex bipartisan stance on the topic.
Gallego stated, “My constituents want more Border Patrol, they want more border investments and enforcement … and they also want immigration reform.” His involvement signals the intricate balance some lawmakers are attempting to strike between enhancing security and reforming immigration policies.
