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Laken Riley Act Passes House Amid Fierce Debate on Immigration and Public Safety

The Laken Riley Act has cleared the House of Representatives and was passed by 264-159 votes. Interestingly the act was supported by 48 Democrats who joined the Republicans to pass the bill. The bill will require DHS to apprehend undocumented immigrants if they are suspects of any criminal offence. The bill also seeks to give power to states to sue the federal government if they are guilty of any enforcement failure.

Laken Riley Act Clears House After Intense Debate

The bill has been named after a victim, Laken Riley who was a nurse by profession and was murdered by a Venezuelan undocumented immigrant. The Venezuelan man was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole. The person was also arrested earlier for shoplifting and other crimes but later released.

The bill which was sponsored by Rep. Mike Collins and was passed after a heated debate with the House Speaker Mike Johnson hailing it as the right step in reversing the Democratic immigration policies.

In fact the bill was Republican Representative Mike Collins of Georgia who accused the border policies of the Biden Administration directly responsible for Laken Riley’s death. The debate centred on public safety and immigration.

Collins represents the town where Laken Riley lived and he says,

“This legislation could have prevented her death. Her murderer was in our country illegally, was a known criminal, he had abused a child in New York City, was flown to Athens, Georgia, a sanctuary city, and all of this on the taxpayers dime. Every part of our system failed Laken that day.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson was scathing in his attack on those who were opposing the bill and said that the bill is the first step in undoing the damage which was precipitated by years of Democrats’ failed leadership.

The Democratic Party’s top brass was vehemently opposed to the bill and accused the Republican Party of using Riley’s death for political gain. The top brass of the party had asked members to oppose the bill. The sticking point for the Democrats was the bill being applied to immigrants who are protected from deportation, like DACA recipients. Also, the detainment could be effected only after a prior arrest and not a conviction.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash. said

 “This bill does nothing to fix the immigration system or to prevent future tragedies like this. It is simply an attempt to score cheap political points off of a tragic death. And in the process it unfairly sweeps up many more innocent lives with no due process.”

The bill now goes to the Senate and would require 60 Votes which seems a cakewalk with All 53 Republicans and multiple Democrats giving their accent to the bill.

Manoj Nair

Manoj Nair: With a decade of news writing across various media platforms, Manoj is a seasoned professional. His dual role as an English teacher underscores his command over communication. He adeptly covers Politics, Technology, Crypto, and more, reflecting a broad and insightful perspective that engages and informs diverse audiences.

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