Senate Passes Immigrant Detention Bill That Could Be the First Measure Trump Signs into Law

Fresh off President Donald Trump’s inauguration, the Senate on Monday passed a bill that would require federal authorities to detain migrants accused of theft and violent crimes, the first measure he likely will sign into law and giving more weight to his plans to deport millions of migrants.

Trump has made a broad crackdown on illegal immigration his top priority, and Congress, with Republicans in control and some Democrats willing to go along, is showing it is ready to follow suit.

Passage of the Laken Riley Act — named after a Georgia nursing student whose murder by a Venezuelan man last year became a rallying cry for Trump’s White House campaign — was a sign of how Congress has shifted sharply right on border security and immigration.

“We don’t want criminals coming into our country,” Trump told supporters at the Capitol, adding he looked forward to holding a bill signing “within a week or so.”

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The bill cleared a key procedural vote in the Senate last week with support from 10 Democrats, and similar legislation gained support from 48 House Democrats earlier this month.

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The legislation would require federal authorities to detain migrants accused of crimes such as shoplifting, as well as offenses that injure or kill someone, and would grant states new legal standing to challenge federal immigration decisions, including by immigration judges.

Critics of the bill say that provision will open the door for Republican state attorneys general to wage a legal battle against federal immigration decisions, injecting even more uncertainty and partisanship into immigration policy.

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