After a young Georgia woman, Laken Riley, was brutally murdered by an illegal immigrant unlawfully in the United States from Venezuela in February, elected leaders from her home state introduced legislation that could protect innocent Americans from a similar fate.
The bill, the Laken Riley Act, was first introduced in the U.S. House by Georgia GOP Rep. Mike Collins who represents the district that the homicide took place in. The legislation eventually passed the House with a bipartisan vote of 251-170 in March.
Soon after, U.S. Senator Katie Britt joined Senator Tod Budd of North Carolina in introducing matching legislation in the upper chamber which quickly encountered resistance from Democrats, particularly chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.). The legislator from Illinois has objected and blocked passage of the legislation twice now which has the bipartisan support of 47 senators.
As a result of the objections, all Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, including Britt (R-Montgonery), have joined together in sending a letter to Chairman Durbin requesting that he a schedule a mark-up for the the bill.
RELATED: Katie Britt introduces the Laken Riley Act
“The Laken Riley Act mandates that ICE arrest illegal aliens who commit theft offenses—such as burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting—and detain them until they can be removed from the United States,” wrote the Senators. “It also ensures that states have standing to sue the federal government in cases where federal officials (such as Secretary Mayorkas) are refusing to enforce immigration law.”
“This bipartisan bill is a common-sense measure that would help to avoid future tragedies resulting from the failure to enforce and follow immigration law, and we look forward to the Judiciary Committee’s consideration of it. The Laken Riley Act is but one of numerous pieces of legislation that Senate Republicans have introduced to better protect the American people from the consequences of the ongoing crisis at the southern border and to stop—not merely manage—the flow of illegal aliens to the southern border and into the United States.”
“So far during this Congress, the Judiciary Committee has failed to take meaningful action on any of those bills. We hope that will change in the near future, and we request that you start with the Laken Riley Act.”
Last week, Sen. Britt spoke from the floor of the U.S. Senate to take the same message to colleagues:
Today, I spoke on the Senate floor and joined Senator Graham in moving to pass the Laken Riley Act.
Once again, Senate Democrats blocked this bipartisan bill. American families deserve better. https://t.co/soXYhosmwA pic.twitter.com/11jUWm6cZb
— Senator Katie Boyd Britt (@SenKatieBritt) May 23, 2024
Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Shipley Austen
Don’t miss out! Subscribe today to have Alabama’s leading headlines delivered to your inbox.