The House yesterday passed the Laken Riley Act, named for the nursing student in Georgia who was murdered last year by an illegal alien. Prior to this homicide, authorities had arrested the murderer, José Antonio Ibarra, for other crimes, but had released him.
The legislation aims to prevent such releases by requiring The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to take aliens into custody who are charged with theft and other violations. The bill also allows state attorneys general to sue DHS if they believe that the agency’s failure to enforce immigration law has harmed their state or their citizens.
The measure passed by House by a margin of 264 to 159. All voting Republicans approved it, along with 48 Democrats. Its future in the Senate is unclear, where it will need 60 votes to pass. The issue is whether the Republican majority there (53 senators) can find enough Democrats to support it.
Read more at msn.com