The Senate Friday teed up the Laken Riley Act to become the first significant border and immigration legislation to pass Congress in decades.
Senators voted 61-35 to invoke cloture, often referred to as “breaking the filibuster,” setting up a likely Monday vote on final passage. Friday’s vote was the final procedural hurdle to halt a final vote on the bill.
The Laken Riley Act would require DHS to take into custody illegal aliens arrested, charged, or convicted for burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting. The bill, named after the 22-year-old nursing student who was brutally murdered last year in Georgia by an illegal alien released into the United States interior, passed the House on January 8.
The two Senators from Riley’s home state of Georgia, both Democrats, split their votes. Sen. Jon Ossoff, who is up for reelection in 2026, voted for the legislation, while Sen. Raphael Warnock, who does not face voters until 2028, voted against it.
If the bill passes Monday as expected, it will return to the House for another vote due to the Senate amending the bill. That amended version will breeze through the House and to President Donald Trump’s desk.
The legislation will be the first legislative victory for Trump and his new administration.
Sixty votes are needed to invoke cloture. Senators Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and John Letterman (D-PA) did not vote, although each likely would have supported the bill. Sen. Chris Coons (D-CT) also missed the vote, while the Ohio Senate seat remains vacant.
Bradley Jaye is Deputy Political Editor for Breitbart News. Follow him on X/Twitter and Instagram @BradleyAJaye.
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