WASHINGTON — The Senate is heading for a final round of voting on a bill that would allow federal authorities to arrest immigrants accused of theft and violent crimes and give states the power to challenge federal immigration policies, paving the way for a different approach to immigration as President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
Republican senators, who make up the majority in the Senate, have made the so-called 'Laken Riley' bill - named after the student killed in the state of Georgia by a Venezuelan immigrant - a top priority, making it possibly the first law that Mr. Trump will sign as president.
A significant procedural hurdle was overcome on Friday when several Democratic lawmakers voted with all Republican lawmakers to move it to a final vote.
Democrats, who had sidelined a similar bill last year, initially supported open discussion of the bill, signaling they were willing to consider cracking down on illegal immigration after their election losses. However, most voted against sending the bill to a final vote after failing to secure several key changes for them.
“Obviously, the issue of border security was a very, very big issue in the November election,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota. Americans “clearly want policy change when it comes to securing our border and immigration.”
In the early days of the new Congress, Republican lawmakers challenged Democratic lawmakers to join forces in efforts to curb illegal immigration and deport immigrants who have committed crimes. In some cases, they have. Most Democratic senators voted last week to move forward with the Laken Railey bill while continuing to call for its amendment.
In the House of Representatives, all Republicans, as well as 48 Democrats, voted to pass a similar version of the bill this month. And this week, 61 Democrats also voted for another bill that would deport and bar entry into the United States of foreign nationals convicted of physical and sexual abuse.
These votes have given Republican lawmakers some early victories during a term in which they control the House of Representatives, the Senate and the White House, although the bills have largely been based on policies where federal authorities have had leeway.
From the moment Mr. Trump takes office and begins efforts to launch widespread deportation operations, Republican lawmakers will face a lot of pressure to fulfill their priorities, balancing them with promises to reduce the budget deficit and amid concerns about the economic, as well as humanitarian, impact that mass deportations will have.
The Laken Riley Act does not provide any new funding for immigration officials, but Democratic advisers on the Senate Appropriations Committee estimate that the law carries a cost of $83 billion over the next three years, according to a document obtained by the Associated Press.
Republicans have rejected that figure. At the same time, they are debating how to pass a massive funding package that would allow President Trump's administration to spend up to $100 billion on border and immigration enforcement.
Democrats, meanwhile, are trying to shape their own approach to immigration. The party is divided between those who now support restrictions on illegal immigration and those who say the party should provide assistance to immigrants already in the United States who are fleeing violence and persecution in their countries of origin.
"I think we need to show that we are the only party that takes the issue of border security seriously," said Democratic Senator from Connecticut, Chris Murphy.
He criticized the Laken Riley Act because, according to him, the law would give immigration authorities priority in arresting immigrants accused of or convicted of crimes such as shoplifting, but could force authorities to release those convicted of more serious crimes. Senator Murphy says the law would only “make the system more complicated and chaotic.”
The law itself, as well as the name of the victim, Riley, became a rallying cry for Republicans last year as they criticized President Biden's handling of the border issue. Riley, a nursing student, was killed in February, and Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan man who entered the United States illegally and was allowed to pursue his immigration case, was convicted of her murder.
Republican senators this week expanded the bill to include immigrants accused of crimes such as murder or serious injury.
During the campaign, Mr. Trump repeatedly raised the issue of crime committed by immigrants, but there is no evidence that immigrants are more likely to commit violent crimes. Several studies have concluded that immigrants have lower crime rates than those born in the United States. Groups calling for more restrictive immigration policies dispute these findings.
According to immigration experts, the law's most lasting impact may ultimately be the provision that gives state attorneys general the legal authority to sue the federal government for damages caused by federal immigration policies.
This article gives states new powers over immigration policies now that they are trying to challenge the presidential decisions of both administrations, President Biden and President Trump.
Democrats tried unsuccessfully to remove this article from the proposed law, saying it could bring about major changes in federal policies.
"We have an overburdened and stretched immigration system, and additional litigation will only make the situation more chaotic," says attorney and analyst at the Immigration Policy Institute, Kathleen Bush-Joseph./ VOA (A2 Televizion)
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