The Senate just took another big step toward restoring some sanity to our immigration system, and predictably, the Left is losing its mind. On Wednesday, the GOP-led Senate amended the Laken Riley Act, a bill that would require federal officials to detain illegal immigrants who are charged with or convicted of certain crimes. Seems like common sense, right? If you’re in the country illegally and you commit a crime, you should probably expect to face some consequences. But apparently, in Democrat-land, holding criminals accountable is controversial.
The amendment, spearheaded by Senator John Cornyn (R-TX), expands the list of offenses that would lead to mandatory detention for illegal immigrants. Now, it includes crimes like assaulting a law enforcement officer or causing serious bodily harm to another person. Again, this seems like a no-brainer. But 25 senators—all Democrats and the two token independents who caucus with them—still managed to vote against it. Let that sink in: a quarter of the Senate essentially said, “Nah, we’re good with keeping illegal immigrants who assault police officers on the streets.” You can’t make this stuff up.
The bill itself, named after Laken Riley—a young nursing student from Georgia who was brutally murdered by an illegal immigrant—already passed the House last week. It’s designed to close the gaping loopholes that let dangerous individuals slip through the cracks. In Riley’s case, her killer, Jose Ibarra, had been cited for shoplifting before committing murder. Local police didn’t notify ICE, and ICE didn’t detain him. Had this bill been law, Riley would still be alive today. That’s not conjecture—it’s a fact.
Of course, Democrats can’t resist trying to dilute the bill with amendments to gut its teeth. Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) proposed an amendment to strip the section that allows state attorneys general to sue federal officials for failing to detain dangerous illegal immigrants. Translation: he doesn’t want anyone held accountable when the government fails to do its job. Thankfully, that amendment was rejected because even some Democrats can’t justify letting ICE skate by without oversight.
But Coons wasn’t alone in his efforts to derail the bill. Judiciary ranking member Dick Durbin (D-IL) proposed two more classic Democrat distractions: exemptions for Dreamers and, of course, a path to citizenship. Newsflash: this bill is about protecting American lives by detaining illegal immigrants who commit crimes—not about opening the door for more amnesty. Maybe Durbin should focus on ensuring violent offenders aren’t roaming the streets instead of trying to sneak in a left-wing wish list under the guise of “fairness.”
Meanwhile, Republicans, led by Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), are working to push the bill through while limiting these ridiculous amendments. Thune filed cloture, which sets up a vote to advance the bill with a 60-vote threshold. That’s good news because it means fewer opportunities for Democrats to water it down with their usual nonsense.
It’s worth noting how telling it is that this bill has bipartisan support—at least from the sane Democrats who understand that public safety shouldn’t be a partisan issue. Seventy senators voted in favor of Cornyn’s amendment to expand the list of crimes requiring detention. Even so, the usual suspects on the Left are still clinging to their soft-on-crime, open-border policies. It’s almost as if they’re more interested in defending criminal illegal immigrants than protecting American citizens.
NEW: John Fetterman says if Democrats can’t get 7 votes in the Senate to pass the Laken Riley Act, then “that’s the reason why we lost.”
“If you’re here illegally and you’re committing crimes, I don’t know why anybody thinks that it’s controversial, that they all need to go.” pic.twitter.com/e0tDEK72uO
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) January 8, 2025
The Laken Riley Act is straightforward: if you’re in this country illegally and you commit a crime, you don’t get to stick around to hurt someone else. It’s not radical; it’s common sense. And yet, Democrats continue to oppose it, proving once again that their priorities are completely out of whack. Republicans are showing leadership here, ensuring that tragedies like Laken Riley’s murder don’t happen again. The American people deserve better than a government that shrugs its shoulders when it comes to keeping dangerous criminals off the streets. Let’s hope this bill makes it to the finish line. It’s long overdue.
BREAKING: Border Patrol just released final border invasion data under the Biden regime, and it got much worse.
Since 2023, 936,500 illegals entered through Biden’s app, and 531,690 migrants were flown in.
YET, Democrats still don’t want to pass the Laken Riley Act to… pic.twitter.com/3B0UBLmt1e
— George (@BehizyTweets) January 14, 2025