The Senate voted to proceed with debate on the Laken Riley Act, a bill aimed at expanding mandatory detention for certain crimes committed by illegal aliens.
The legislation, named after 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley, who was killed by an illegal alien in February, passed the House on January 7 with a vote of 264-159.
Democratic Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington criticized the bill during an appearance on MSNBC Sunday evening, claiming it would lead to “mass deportation” and deny due process to illegal aliens.
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Speaking to MSNBC host Jonathan Capehart, Jayapal argued that the bill’s expanded criteria for mandatory detention would create unfair conditions for illegal aliens.
“Look, I think the first thing to know is that if an undocumented immigrant commits a horrendous act of murder, like what happened to Laken Riley, that person is immediately mandatorily detained and deported if they’re convicted of that,” Jayapal said.
She went on to say, “Now, what this bill does… it expands that to shoplifting and theft, and it says that there is no due process.”
Jayapal provided a hypothetical scenario in which a shopkeeper accuses someone of shoplifting.
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“That person is immediately arrested by the police and immediately turned over and mandatorily detained… that person has not had a trial. There is no evidence that that person actually committed the crime that they’re accused of, and yet they are mandatorily detained,” she claimed.
The bill is named after Laken Riley, who was killed while jogging in February by Jose Antonio Ibarra, an illegal alien from Venezuela with a lengthy criminal record.
Ibarra was sentenced to life without parole in November after being found guilty of Riley’s murder.
President-elect Donald Trump has used the case to highlight the dangers posed by illegal aliens during his campaign.
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Trump also pointed to other crimes involving illegal aliens, including the murders of Rachel Morin and Jocelyn Nungaray, and criticized the impact of large illegal alien influxes on cities like Springfield, Ohio, which recently saw over 20,000 Haitian migrants arrive.
The House vote saw 48 Democrats, including six who had previously opposed the legislation, join Republicans in supporting the bill.
In the Senate, nine Democrats and one independent voted against proceeding with debate, signaling ongoing division over the bill’s provisions.
Jayapal characterized the legislation as overly broad, stating, “So the way I like to think about this is that it is essentially a highway to mass deportation… this says you can just be accused… without even a conviction.”
Dem Rep Jayapal is Mad Criminal Illegal Aliens Can be Put in the Justice System…
The Senate voted to proceed with debate on the Laken Riley Act, a bill aimed at expanding mandatory detention for certain crimes committed by illegal aliens.
The legislation, named after… pic.twitter.com/XXUx155cNy
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The debate over the Laken Riley Act comes as the Biden-Harris administration continues to face criticism over border security.
President-elect Trump has pledged a significant deportation effort targeting illegal aliens during his 2024 campaign.
Meanwhile, the Biden-Harris administration, including Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, has repeatedly claimed the border is secure, despite millions of illegal alien encounters reported by U.S. Customs and Border Protection since fiscal year 2021.
Entering the country illegally carries potential criminal penalties under federal law, and proponents of the Laken Riley Act argue that the bill strengthens enforcement to address public safety concerns.
Opponents, however, warn of potential overreach and the erosion of due process rights.
As the bill moves through the Senate, the debate over balancing enforcement with fairness continues to intensify.
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First and last of all, anyone who is in the United States of America illegally is not entitled to the same protections afforded to citizens under the constitution. End. Of. Story.
This woman is both a nitwit and anti-American. Assumption of innocence is only valid for those in the country legally. They broke the law coming over the border without proper process. This, by definition, is an illegal act. Even if that is the ONLY crime the person commits, you cannot claim innocence. Deportation is the only correct answer. The violent criminals should also be sent back, but with a lot less creature comforts.