Laken Riley Act passed by US House of Representatives
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() The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation named for a slain college nursing student on Tuesday, moving a bill that allows illegal immigrants charged with non-violent crimes like shoplifting to be detained by immigration officials, closer to becoming law.

The Laken Riley Act, which passed through the House during the last Congressional session with bipartisan support, passed the House on a 264-159 vote.

Tuesday’s vote included support from 48 Democrats, which is 11 more than previously supported the measure when it was considered last year.

The Senate is expected to consider the bill for the first time later this week, Politico reported. The bill would need 66 votes to pass the chamber, which would require at least eight Democrats to vote in favor of the measure. Two House Democrats who voted in favor of the bill last year are now in the Senate Sens. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz. and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich.

The bill is named for Laken Riley, 22, who was killed by an illegal immigrant who had previously been arrested on theft charges. Jose Ibarra, an immigrant who entered the U.S. illegally from Venezuela, was convicted of killing Tiley and sentenced to life in prison without parole.

The bill imposes stricter immigration rules that allow U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials to detain non-U.S. citizens. It would also allow states to sue the federal government for releasing a non-U.S. citizen from custody or for certain immigration procedure violations.

This version of the bill did not include explicit clauses that formally condemned President Joe Biden for his handling of the border. Republicans removed the condemnations from the bill that passed the House on Tuesday and included only immigration policy enforcement measures.

Ibarra’s attorneys have filed a motion seeking a new trial, claiming that the verdict is contrary to the law and contrary to evidence.

Riley went missing after going jogging in February. Investigators soon after discovered her body on the University of Georgia campus in a forested area.

Emergency responders tried to revive Riley but determined she died before officers discovered her body.

The University of Georgia Police Department arrested Ibarra in connection to Riley’s death the following day.

Prosecutors allege Ibarra beat Riley with an object and dragged her body to a secluded area off the jogging path to conceal her body.

ā€œThe American people did not just deliver a mandate on November 5, they delivered a verdict,ā€ U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., who announced the Senate version of the bill, said. ā€œThey made it clear they want to remove criminal illegal aliens and protect American families. We will soon know whether Democrats hear, respect and obey that verdict,ā€ Britt said.

Britt criticized the Senate for not taking up the bill during the last session and told Politico that Republicans were prioritizing protecting American families from the first day of the 119th Congress.

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