House sends Laken Riley Act to Trump’s desk

The House of Representatives passed the Laken Riley Act for a third time on Wednesday afternoon in a 264-159 vote, incorporating changes passed by the Senate on Monday.

Forty-eight Democrats joined all Republicans in support of the bill, while 159 Democrats voted against its final passage.

Having cleared both chambers of Congress, the bill now heads to the desk of President Donald Trump, presenting him with a bipartisan bill that, if he signs it, will be the first piece of legislation to be enacted into law under his second administration.

What is the Laken Riley Act? The bill, which initially passed the Senate earlier in January, requires law enforcement to detain undocumented persons who have been charged with specified crimes.

Specifically, the text of the initial bill empowered states to apprehend undocumented immigrants accused of burglary, theft, larceny, or a shoplifting offense. The version the Senate sent back to the House has expanded that language to include, “assault of a law enforcement officer offense, or any crime that results in death or serious bodily injury to another person,” making it a slightly more comprehensive text.

Why did Democrats vote against this bill? Democrats see the bill as an overreach of power on the part of law enforcement and an encroachment on due process because the bill provides for detention for an indeterminate amount of time without trial.

Even so, 48 Democrats ultimately voted for its passage—a slight uptick from attempts to pass the Laken Riley Act for the first time in the previous Congress, back in March of 2024. In that attempt, 37 Democrats joined all Republicans in support of its passage. The bill ultimately died in the Senate where it was not brought up for consideration amid a Democrat-controlled majority.

Why do Republicans support the bill? The bill’s supporters believe it’s a needed step to ensuring stronger measures against potentially dangerous undocumented aliens.

Border encounters, which have been falling for most of Fiscal Year 2024, have now reached a four-year low in the first three months of the 2025 Fiscal Year that began in October. Republicans WORLD spoke to believe that change is largely due to tough-on-immigration rhetoric from the incoming administration.

Trump in his first day in office signed a number of executive orders, directing the federal government, among other things, to prioritize deportation of illegal aliens convicted of crimes. While that’s what would normally happen under any administration, Trump’s directive to border enforcement agencies further doubles down on his rhetoric of prioritizing potentially dangerous undocumented aliens within the country.

Dig deeper: For those keeping count, yes, today marks the third time the House has passed the Laken Riley Act. What makes all the difference is that now it’s already cleared the Senate—where it attracted Democrat votes. Read Carolina Lumetta’s reporting on why the bill attracted Democratic support this time around.