The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Laken Riley Act on Tuesday with bipartisan support, marking the first legislative action of the year. Named after a Georgia nursing student killed by an undocumented Venezuelan migrant, the bill would allow the detention of undocumented immigrants charged with certain crimes like theft, burglary, or shoplifting.
The legislation initially cleared the House in March with fewer Democratic votes but was not voted in the Senate. This time around, it passed with a 264-159 vote, including support from 48 Democrats alongside all Republicans. Of the Democrats, eleven were newly elects, while seven others shifted their votes to "yes" from the previous rejection. The latter were:
