Durbin Statement On Senate Passage Of The Laken Riley Act
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after voting against the Laken Riley Act:
“The loss of a child is something no parent should have to endure, and we should do everything possible to make sure what happened to Laken Riley never happens again. But as I have said numerous times, this bill will not accomplish its stated goal. I’m genuinely disappointed in the passage of this bill as it stands and deeply concerned about how it will be implemented.”
Last week, Durbin outlined his concerns with the Laken Riley Act on the Senate floor. He also filed two amendments to the Laken Riley Act to protect Dreamers, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) recipients and individuals eligible for DACA.
The Laken Riley Act will amend the mandatory detention provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act to require the federal government to take custody of anyone who entered the country illegally, violated the terms of their immigration status, or had their visa revoked, and is thereafter arrested, charged, or convicted for a crime involving burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting. The “arrest” standard is impossible to explain or defend. The legislation also gives state attorneys general the standing to sue federal immigration authorities for actions completely unrelated to stopping violent crime.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told Durbin’s office that this legislation will require them to detain more than 65,000 immigrants. But Congress has only provided ICE with funding to detain 42,000 people, and the agency is already holding nearly that many. ICE estimates the annual cost of this new mandate at $26 billion, more than two and a half times ICE’s current budget of $9.6 billion.
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