We’re watching Democrats closely today as House Republicans put their first substantive piece of legislation on the floor for the 119th Congress.
It’s the Laken Riley Act, named after a Georgia nursing student murdered last February, and it would require the detention of any undocumented migrant charged with theft or burglary. It’s also an early test of how Democrats will approach border issues after losing control of the White House and Senate in last year’s election.
Speaker Mike Johnson challenged Democrats this morning to join Republicans in passing the bill: “It can’t be just empty rhetoric. It’s got to be action, and we’re going to give them the opportunity to take action with us.”
When the House first took it up last March, 37 House Democrats crossed party lines to support it, joining all Republicans who voted. We’re closely watching whether that number grows today.
A whip alert sent to House Democrats this morning said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), the lead Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, “strongly opposes this bill” and outlined the reasons why, including “ratchet[ing] up the number of mandatory detentions without increasing funding to carry them out.” But it did not formally urge a no vote.
A Senate vote on advancing the legislation is expected to happen Friday, POLITICO scooped yesterday. With 52 Republican senators expected to support it — Sen.-elect Jim Justice (R-W.Va.) won’t be sworn in until next week — eight Democrats or independents would have to come along to break a likely filibuster and ultimately pass the bill.
On Monday, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) became the first and only Democrat to co-sponsor the legislation, as Punchbowl News first reported.
“Laken Riley’s story is a tragic reminder of what’s at stake when our systems fail to protect people,” Fetterman told POLITICO in a statement. “No family should have to endure the pain of losing a loved one to preventable violence. Immigration is what makes our country great. I support giving authorities the tools to prevent tragedies like this one while we work on comprehensive solutions to our broken system.”
