Congress moves closer to passing Laken Riley Act

This morning, the Senate approved a cloture motion to end debate on the Laken Riley Act (S. 5), allowing it to proceed to a vote on final passage on Monday. The motion passed 61 to 35, with 10 Democrats joining all Republicans who were present in support of the motion. 

The Democrats who voted yes include Sens. Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly of Arizona, Sen. Jon Ossoff of Georgia, Sens. Gary Peters and Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, Sens. Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, and Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who cosponsored the bill, did not vote.

Before final passage on Monday, there will be a vote on an amendment by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) that incorporates an amendment by Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) that was adopted on Thursday. These amendments add additional categories of criminal aliens who must be detained, including those who commit crimes that cause serious bodily harm or death.

Since the version of the Laken Riley Act that will pass the Senate on Monday is different than the version the House passed (H.R. 29), the Senate bill will have to be passed by the House before the bill is sent to President Trump. In a fitting tribute to Laken Riley, the bill named after her is likely to be the first bill signed into law by Pres. Trump after his inauguration on Monday.

We expect several executive actions on the immigration issue to be issued by the Trump Administration during its first week in office. Therefore, the Immigration Accountability Project will launch a new resource on our website to complement our existing Member Accountability tool -- the Administration Accountability tool.

Our new Administration Accountability tool will track executive actions taken by all departments within the Trump Administration on the issue of immigration, along with our analysis of the impacts of each action. IAP will send an email next week once the new tool is online.

Immigration News

Biden DHS exempted thousands of immigrants from terror-related entry restrictions in FY 2024
Fox News obtained a draft of the FY 2024 report that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) gives to Congress detailing the yearly exemptions that it gives to foreign nationals subject to terrorism-related inadmissibility grounds. Without these waivers, aliens trying to enter the U.S. would otherwise be blocked because they had certain ties to terrorism. Shockingly, in this past year, DHS granted 6,848 waivers. That number is up from 361 in 2020, 191 in 2021, 603 in 2022, and 2,085 in 2023.

CBP Releases December 2024 Monthly Update
This week, Customs and Border Protection sent out their last full month enforcement report for the Biden Administration. Nationwide encounters of illegal aliens were close to November’s numbers, at 124,806. The Biden Administration boasts about bringing in 531,690 inadmissible aliens through its illegal CHNV Parole program, along with 936,500 through its CBPOne App parole scheme. You can see our chart of all of CBP encounters since FY 2014 below.

Trump administration will close down the Darien Gap, incoming border czar Tom Homan says
NBC News has more from incoming Border Czar Tom Homan, who outlines some of the enforcement actions the Trump Administration is planning to take to get control of illegal immigration. Among other priorities, Homan talks about shutting down the Darien Gap in Panama, starting workplace raids, mass deportations, and expanding the 287(g) program, which allows State and local law enforcement to better assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Florida will have "maximum participation" in any federal immigration programs Trump enacts, DeSantis says
While on the topic of State and local cooperation with immigration enforcement, Governor Ron DeSantis (FL) this week outlined his own immigration priorities in the Florida legislature’s special session. The Governor’s actions in Florida are a great model for other states that want to assist in stopping illegal immigration. As a side note, the Governor appointed Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody to fill Senator Rubio’s term once he is confirmed to head the Department of State under President Trump. Moody will serve as Senator until a special election in 2026.

Vatican cracks down on illegal entry into its territory
This last article is an interesting look at how the smallest country in the world enforces its own borders. The Vatican has significantly increased penalties for those who illegally enter its territory without authorization.

Next Week

Monday is Inauguration Day!