Senate GOP Demands Action on Laken Riley Act After Second Block by Democrats

Republican senators are urging Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin to bring forth consideration of the Laken Riley Act, legislation aimed at preventing illegal immigrants charged with local theft or burglary from being released into the United States.

Senate Republicans are renewing their calls for Democrats to bring forth consideration of the Laken Riley Act, a measure requiring federal immigration authorities to arrest and detain illegal immigrants charged with local theft or burglary. The renewed push comes after the bill was blocked for a second time by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin.

In a letter to Durbin, 11 Senate Republicans, including all GOP members of the Judiciary Committee, urged immediate consideration of the bill. They cited the staggering number of encounters with illegal aliens at the southern border under the Biden Administration, warning that the lack of enforcement of immigration laws is putting Americans at risk.

The letter highlights the tragic case of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student who was abducted and killed while jogging on the campus of the University of Georgia. Jose Antonio Ibarra, the illegal immigrant from Venezuela charged in the murder, was arrested in New York prior to the murder but was not detained by ICE due to a lack of detention space.

Senators Katie Britt of Alabama and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, lead co-sponsors of the bill, expressed their outrage over the Democrats' continued blockage of the measure. Britt stated that if the bill had been law, Laken Riley would still be alive today, emphasizing the senate's responsibility to prevent such tragedies from happening to more families.

Graham echoed Britt's sentiments, calling it shameful for Congress to have learned nothing from Riley's senseless murder and failing to take corrective action. He emphasized the need for committee consideration of the Laken Riley Act to change laws and prevent similar cases in the future.

The Republican senators in their letter referred to Ibarra as one of the millions of aliens granted parole by CBP under the leadership of President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas, highlighting the unprecedented increase in the use of the parole authority. They noted that under the previous administrations, parole grants averaged around 6,000 annually, while under Biden, they have skyrocketed to over 1.3 million a year.

The Laken Riley Act would mandate that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrest illegal immigrants who commit theft, burglary, larceny, or shoplifting and detain them until their removal from the United States to prevent further offenses. It would also grant states standing to bring civil actions against federal officials who refuse to enforce immigration law.

The Senate measure has 47 co-sponsors, including Montana Democrat Sen. Jon Tester, and was introduced by Britt and Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., in March as a Senate companion to H.R. 7511, which was introduced in the House by Georgia Rep. Mike Collins.

Collins' measure passed the House in March with 251 yea votes, including 37 Democrats. However, all 170 no votes came from Democrats. Collins has urged the Senate to take up the legislation immediately to provide justice for Laken Riley and grant ICE more tools to detain and deport criminal illegal aliens before they commit more serious crimes.

The letter to Durbin was signed by GOP Sens. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, John Cornyn of Texas, Mike Lee of Utah, Ted Cruz of Texas, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Tom Cotton of Arkansas, John Kennedy of Louisiana, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, and Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee. Fox News Digital did not receive an immediate response from Durbin's office on whether he plans to bring forth the bill for consideration in the Judiciary Committee.

The Senate Republicans' push for the Laken Riley Act underscores their commitment to addressing the ongoing border crisis and protecting Americans from the consequences of illegal immigration. They believe that the bill is a common-sense measure that would help prevent future tragedies and hope that the Judiciary Committee will take meaningful action to advance it.