Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal from Washington expressed her concerns on Sunday night regarding the Laken Riley Act, alleging it would strip illegal immigrants of their “due process” rights. This remark comes in the context of individuals who have already breached U.S. law by crossing the border unlawfully. The Senate has moved forward with discussions on this legislation, named in memory of Laken Riley, a nursing student tragically murdered. The House previously passed this act with a vote of 264-159 on January 7th.
Jayapal contended in an interview with MSNBC host Jonathan Capehart that the legislation expands the list of offenses mandating detention, effectively creating a “highway of mass deportation.” The act’s critics, primarily from the Democratic side, argue that it broadens these offenses to include relatively minor crimes like shoplifting and theft.
In Jayapal’s words: “Look, I think the first thing to know is that if an undocumented immigrant commits a horrendous act of murder, like what happened to Laken Riley, that person is immediately mandatorily detained and deported if they’re convicted of that,” adding that the new bill extends this to lesser crimes without proper due process.
The law’s namesake, Laken Riley, was a 22-year-old nursing student killed while jogging. Her killer, Jose Antonio Ibarra, an immigrant from Venezuela who illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border, already had a long criminal history. Ibarra was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole after being found guilty.
Jayapal further argued: “So, let me give you an example. A shopkeeper doesn’t like the way somebody looks when they walk into the store. They accuse that person of shoplifting. That person is immediately arrested by the police and immediately turned over and mandatorily detained within the criminal justice system, that person has not had a trial. There is no evidence that that person actually committed the crime that they’re accused of, and yet they are mandatorily detained.”
Despite opposition from some Democrats, the bill finds support in both chambers of Congress. In the House, 48 Democrats endorsed the bill, with some even reversing their previous stance. President-elect Donald Trump has spotlighted various crimes involving illegal immigrants, citing the murders of Riley and others as examples, emphasizing the struggles of cities overwhelmed by large numbers of migrants. Trump’s campaign has underscored these issues in his race against Vice President Kamala Harris.
Jayapal summarized her concerns: “So the way I like to think about this is that it is essentially a highway to mass deportation, and you can have any number of people picked up and put into the criminal justice system simply for being accused, with no conviction, no admission of guilt.”
As Trump has prophesied a sweeping deportation initiative targeting illegal immigrants, he contrasts starkly with the Biden administration’s narrative that maintains the U.S. border’s security, even as Border Patrol figures indicate a massive influx of illegal immigrants since fiscal year 2021’s commencement.