Sen. Sullivan Joins 53 Senate Colleagues in Introducing Laken Riley Act
WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) joined Senator Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and 52 other senators in introducing the Laken Riley Act in the 119th Congress earlier this week. A motion to proceed (cloture vote requiring 60 votes to pass) has been filed and a vote is scheduled on the Senate floor for this afternoon. The legislation passed the House of Representatives Wednesday after being introduced by Congressman Mike Collins (R-Ga.).
The Laken Riley Act would require U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to arrest illegal aliens who commit theft, burglary, larceny, or shoplifting offenses and would mandate that these aliens are detained until they are removed from the United States so they cannot reoffend and commit further crimes. This legislation would also ensure states have standing to bring civil actions against federal officials who refuse to enforce immigration law or who violate the law.
“It’s impossible to fully describe what was taken from Laken and from our family on February 22, 2024. Laken’s life was abundantly and exceptionally full of promise. She was a beautiful, shining beacon in the life of everyone who knew her. Not only did the people who knew and loved Laken lose a beautiful soul, but so did our world. Laken shared her love for Jesus with everyone she encountered. Laken’s passion for sharing her faith through acts of kindness were felt by everyone she met. Laken was selfless, hardworking and made those around her feel special. Laken did not just talk about her faith, she led by example,” said Allyson and John Phillips, Laken Riley’s mother and stepfather. “The Laken Riley Act has our full support because it would help save innocent lives and prevent more families from going through the kind of heartbreak we’ve experienced. Laken would have been 23 on January 10th. There is no greater gift that could be given to her and our country than to continue her legacy by saving lives through this bill. Every single member of Congress should be able to get behind this purely commonsense bill that will make our country and communities safer. We thank Congressman Mike Collins, Senator Katie Britt, and Senator Ted Budd for continuing to work to honor Laken’s legacy and get this legislation enacted into law.”
“The consequences of the largest invasion of illegal aliens in American history – which began four years ago – are a tragedy and represent a complete dereliction of duty by President Biden,” Senator Sullivan said. “The Biden administration’s border policies, which included deliberate orders to ignore federal law, have created a national security, health, humanitarian, and crime crisis of epic proportions. Laken Riley should still be alive today. So should thousands more Americans who have lost their lives as a result of these reckless and dangerous policies. Alaskans have certainly felt the impacts of the record amounts of drugs, particularly fentanyl, and cartel members coming across the border and reaching our state thousands of miles away. The Laken Riley Act is an attempt to make America safer and restore accountability to the people in charge of carrying out America’s immigration laws. I implore my Democratic colleagues to join Republicans, Sen. Fetterman and Sen. Gallego in passing this commonsense legislation.”
Identical legislation was introduced in the previous 118th Congress. It passed the House of Representatives but was blocked in the Senate by Senate Democrats. Unlike the previous Congress, Senate Republicans now hold the majority in the U.S. Senate.
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