Arizona’s Democratic Sens. Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego support a bill which would require undocumented immigrants who are charged with certain crimes to be taken into custody.
In the Senate, Republicans need eight Democratic votes to bypass the filibuster and advance the bill.
As reported by Politico, with Gallego and Kelly’s support, the Senate now has nine Democrats in open support of it.
Gallego is actually a co-sponsor of the “Laken Riley Act,” named after a 22-year-old woman who was murdered by an undocumented immigrant last year in Georgia. Her killer, Jose Ibarra, was convicted in November.
“Not only am I voting yes on the Laken Riley Act, I’m co-sponsoring the bill. Arizonans know better than most the real consequences of today’s border crisis. We must give law enforcement the means to take action to prevent tragedies like what occurred to Laken Riley,” Gallego said on X.
The bill has already passed the House with the support of all Republicans and 48 Democrats, including Democratic Arizona Congressman Greg Stanton.
The other two House Democrats are Yassamin Ansari and Raúl Grijalva. Ansari voted “no,” and Grijalva did not vote.
Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs also took to social media today to voice her support for the measure.
“Thank you Senator Gallego for representing Arizona well and cosponsoring this legislation. The Laken Riley Act is an important step forward that will help keep our communities safe and secure our border,” Hobbs said on X.
-
Lawyers who spoke to KPBS said immigration judges are now ordering bond amounts that previously were only used for criminals on international wanted lists. The U.S. Department of Justice says the courts are following the law and that the claims are "baseless." -
Assistant Chief Patrol Agent Mike Wisniewski says this latest surge comes on the heels of a similar operation last month, which led to the arrest of dozens of undocumented immigrants. -
A kitchen manager at the center of the Zipps Sports Grill immigration raids has been sentenced to five months in federal prison for his role in hiring undocumented workers. -
Every year, Arizona State University Barrett Honors College professor Abby Wheatley brings her class on transnational migration to the Arizona borderlands. -
The U.S. Border Patrol has a new leader: Rosario Vasquez has been named chief of the agency.
