House passes Laken Riley immigrant detention bill that would be Trump's first law to sign

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January 22nd, 2025

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., left, listens to comments by Mike Collins, R-Ga., as Republicans talk to reporters about the Laken Riley Act, a bill to detain unauthorized immigrants who have been accused of certain crimes, at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. Georgia nursing student Laken Riley was killed last year by a Venezuelan man who entered the U.S. illegally and was allowed to stay to pursue his immigration case. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Congressional I / Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Congressional I

This story was updated on Jan. 22, 2025, at 7:31 p.m.

The House on Wednesday gave final approval to a bill that requires the detainment of unauthorized immigrants accused of theft and violent crimes, marking the first legislation that President Donald Trump can sign as Congress, with some bipartisan support, swiftly moved in line with his plans to crackdown on illegal immigration.

Passage of the Laken Riley Act, which was named after a Georgia nursing student who was murdered last year by a Venezuelan man, shows just how sharply the political debate over immigration has shifted to the right following Trump’s election victory. Immigration policy has often been one of the most entrenched issues in Congress, but a crucial faction of 46 politically vulnerable Democrats joined with Republicans to lift the strict proposal to passage on a 263-156 vote tally.

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