On Passage — S 5 — Laken Riley Act

- This Senate bill from the 119th Congress is titled Laken Riley Act. The official summary says this act requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain certain non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law) who have been arrested for burglary, theft, larceny, shoplifting, assault of a law enforcement officer, or any crime that results in death or serious bodily injury to another person. - The act also authorizes states to sue the federal government for decisions or alleged failures related to immigration enforcement. - Under this act, DHS must detain an individual who (1) is unlawfully present in the United States or did not possess the necessary documents when applying for admission; and (2) has been charged with, arrested for, convicted of, or admits to having committed acts that constitute the essential elements of the above crimes. - The act also authorizes state governments to sue for injunctive relief over certain immigration-related decisions or alleged failures by the federal government if the decision or failure caused the state or its residents harm, including financial harm of more than $100. - Specifically, the state government may sue the federal government over a decision to release a non-U.S. national from custody; failure to fulfill requirements relating to inspecting individuals seeking admission into the United States, including requirements related to asylum interviews; failure to fulfill a requirement to stop issuing visas to nationals of a country that unreasonably denies or delays acceptance of nationals of that country; violation of limitations on immigration parole, such as the requirement that parole be granted only on a case-by-case basis; or failure to detain an individual who has been ordered removed from the United States - Roll-call votes recorded on this bill: on January 9, 2025, the Senate vote on the recorded question was PROCEDURAL and Cloture on the Motion to Proceed Agreed to; on January 13, 2025, the Senate vote on the recorded question was PROCEDURAL and Motion to Proceed Agreed to; on January 17, 2025, the Senate vote on the recorded question was PROCEDURAL and Cloture Motion Agreed to; on January 20, 2025, the Senate vote on passage was SUBSTANTIVE (passage) and the bill passed; and on January 22, 2025, the House vote on passage was SUBSTANTIVE (passage) and Passed.