cnn
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The House of Representatives voted Wednesday to pass a GOP-led bill requiring the detention of undocumented migrants accused of certain crimes, delivering an early legislative victory to President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans, who chose to introduce the measure. as his first bill of the new Congress.
The bill, called the Laken Riley Act, will go to the White House to be signed into law after the Senate passed the measure earlier in the week. The vote in the House was 263 to 156 with 46 Democrats voting in favor.
Republicans made the legislation a top priority after winning the House, Senate and White House, but the bill could not have advanced toward final passage in the Senate without the support of key Democrats, as Republicans control only a narrow majority.
The bill’s passage comes as Trump has vowed to make cracking down on immigration a pillar of his agenda, handing Republicans a legislative achievement within the first week of the president’s return to the White House. However, the bill faces major obstacles to its implementation, as federal officials have warned lawmakers that existing resources are insufficient to carry out the law.
The fact that the bill has gained significant support from Democrats signals a notable shift for the party following Trump’s presidential victory, as Democrats in competitive states and districts say the party must do more to address concerns. of voters on immigration.
However, the legislation exposed a divide within the party, with some Democrats calling it a common-sense measure while others argued it threatens to undermine civil liberties, due process and public safety.
The bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to detain undocumented migrants who are in the U.S. illegally or without legal status if they have been charged, arrested, convicted, or admitted to certain crimes, including theft and burglary. The Senate adopted amendments to expand the list of crimes covered by the bill to include assaults on law enforcement officers and crimes resulting in death or serious bodily injury.
The legislation is named for Laken Riley, a 22-year-old Georgia student who was killed last year while jogging. An undocumented migrant from Venezuela was convicted and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in the case that reignited a national debate about immigration and crime.
A controversial but low-profile provision of the legislation would give state attorneys general the authority to sue in federal court over decisions by federal officials, including immigration judges, to release certain immigrants from detention. They could also sue to force the State Department to impose visa sanctions on countries that refuse to accept citizens who are eligible for deportation.
Democrats opposed to the legislation have argued that it would undermine public safety by allowing courts to question legitimate decisions made by law enforcement officers serving on the front lines and could weaken U.S. foreign policy by giving attorneys general state and federal judges an overly expansive power regarding visa blocking.
Although the bill has been approved by Congress, there are obstacles ahead for its implementation.
The Laken Riley Act will require a ramp-up period and a boost in funding, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) privately warned lawmakers in recent weeks.
“Full implementation would be impossible for ICE to execute with existing resources,” the agency said in a memo to lawmakers this month that was obtained by CNN.
The agency said its initial cost estimate of $3.2 billion to implement the law “does not represent the full cost of implementation.”
ICE is funding 41,500 detention beds. As of early December, there were more than 39,000 people in ICE custody, according to the agency.
ICE estimated it would need 110,000 additional beds to support the population of people covered by the new law, far exceeding its current inventory.
“If additional resources are provided, a ramp-up period would be needed due to implementation challenges such as hiring, detention bed availability, and contracting/procurement schedules,” the memo said.
Trump has moved quickly after being sworn in on Monday to take a series of far-reaching executive immigration actions that included declaring a national emergency at the US southern border and beginning the process to end birthright citizenship, a move that has already sparked a legal challenge.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
