Sens. Slotkin, Peters vote to approve Laken Riley Act, which passes with bipartisan support
(CBS DETROIT) - Michigan Democratic Sens. Elissa Slotkin and Gary Peters voted alongside the majority of senators to approve the Laken Riley Act earlier this week.
The bill, which was approved both in the Senate and House on Monday and Wednesday, respectively, would expand mandatory detention to include noncitizens convicted of or charged with burglary, larceny, theft or shoplifting, as well as those who admit to committing those crimes. It also includes a provision that empowers state attorneys general who claim their states or residents have been harmed by immigration policies to sue the federal government.
The legislation was named after 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley, who was murdered by an undocumented Venezuelan immigrant last year.
Peters and Slotkin were among 12 Democrats who voted in favor of the bill. The final Senate tally was 64-35.
The bill then went to the Senate, where an amended version received bipartisan support on Monday. Changes included expanding the legislation's scope to include the assault of a law enforcement officer and crimes that result in the death "or serious bodily injury of another person" as grounds for mandatory detention.
In a statement released Thursday, Slotkin said:
"I plan to vote for the Laken Riley Act, just as I did last year in the House. Like many bills, this one isn't perfect, and I'm hopeful there will be an amendment process.
"But no matter what, this bill certainly doesn't address the root causes of our broken immigration system, which we need to do to ever truly deal with immigration issues writ large in this country.
"Michiganders have spoken loudly and clearly that they want action to secure our southern border. We must get past petty partisanship that continues to dominate the immigration debate.
"In the Senate, I will work with anyone who is serious about real immigration reform that secures our southern border and stops the flow of fentanyl, keys our immigration system to the real needs of our economy, and lives up to our American values."
On Wednesday, the House approved an amended version of the legislation by a 263 to 156 vote. All seven Michigan Republican members voted in favor, as did two Democrats — Reps. Hillary Scholten and Kristen McDonald Rivet. Scholten and Rivet also voted in favor of the legislation earlier this month. Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Haley Stevens voted against the act, while fellow Democrats Debbie Dingell and Shri Thanedar did not cast a vote.
"It is shameful that the first bill of the new Congress will put a target on the back of millions of our neighbors and increase the militarization of our neighborhoods," Tlaib said in a statement. "This bill is a blatant violation of due process and will lead to the mandatory detention and deportation of people who are merely accused of a crime—without even being convicted. It will separate families and lead to increased racial profiling. It will empower Trump even further to unleash mass deportation on our communities. It's a shame that my colleagues are giving into racist fearmongering at the first opportunity to pass legislation to scapegoat immigrants and fuel hate in our communities."
The legislation will now make its way to President Trump's desk, where it is expected to be the first piece of legislation he signs in his new term.
