Headline Roundup • January 23rd, 2025
House Passes Laken Riley Act
Summary from the AllSides News Team
On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Laken Riley Act, which requires the detention of unauthorized immigrants for certain nonviolent crimes like theft, burglary, or shoplifting.
Key Details: The House passed the bill 263-156, with 46 Democrats voting for it. The Senate passed the measure 64-35 earlier this week, with 12 Democrats voting for it.
Key Quote: “The Laken Riley Act will now go to President Trump’s desk for him to sign into law,” Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) wrote on social platform X after the vote. “Criminal illegal aliens must be detained, deported, and NEVER allowed back into our country. The American people demand and deserve safety and security.”
For Context: The Laken Riley Act was named for the 22-year-old nursing student who was killed by an unauthorized immigrant while jogging on the University of Georgia campus last year. The immigrant had previously been cited for shoplifting, but was not detained by authorities. Trump and Republicans focused on this incident and made immigration reform and border security a priority on the campaign trail in 2024.
How the Media Covered it: Pro-immigration activists see the bill as an attempt to deny due process to immigrants by detaining them before they are convicted. Supporters of the bill favor aggressive immigration enforcement, noting that immigration ranked as a top concern among voters during the 2024 election.
Featured Coverage of this Story
Washington Times
Congress passed the first bill of the new Trump era on Wednesday, delivering on the president’s immigration promises with legislation to push for detention and deportation of criminal migrants — including those with relatively low-level offenses such as shoplifting.
The House voted 263-156 to approve the Laken Riley Act. The Senate passed the bill earlier this week on a similar bipartisan vote, which means the legislation now heads to President Trump’s desk for his expected signature.
Republicans said it was the first in what they expect to be a stream of immigration crackdown...
The House on Wednesday passed the Laken Riley Act, sending the immigration-related bill to President Trump’s desk in what is poised to be his first legislative victory since returning to the White House this week.
The chamber cleared the bill in a 263-156 vote. Forty-six Democrats voted with all present Republicans in favor of the legislation. Passage in the House came two days after the Senate approved the measure in a bipartisan 64-35 vote.
Trump is expected to sign the measure, marking the first bill enacted in his second administration on a...
The Republican-led House on Wednesday passed the Laken Riley Act, a strict immigration detention measure named for a 22-year-old Georgia nursing school student who was murdered last year by an undocumented immigrant.
The legislation, aimed at clamping down on people in the U.S. illegally who commit nonviolent crimes like theft, is expected to be the first bill President Donald Trump signs into law after returning to the White House this week.
The House vote was 263-156, with 46 Democrats joining all Republicans in support of the measure. The bill passed the Senate on Monday...
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