The United States House of Representatives passed House Resolution 29, also known as the “Laken Riley Act” on Tuesday, which passed with a bipartisan 264-159 vote, including Arizona leaders.
The legislation allows illegal immigrants to be taken into custody if they face accusations of crimes related to stealing, and it’s named after the college student who was killed by an illegal immigrant in Georgia last year.
“In November, President Trump was given a mandate, Congress was given a mandate, and that was to secure our border,” Republican Rep. Andy Biggs said in a video following the vote.
“Under this legislation, someone charged-just charged, not found guilty—could be immediately deported. This is a gross miscarriage of justice, and I voted no,” the Phoenix area congresswoman added.
The bill is among the first voted on by the new Congress, which began last Friday. With President-elect Donald Trump set to take office on Jan. 20, it’s likely that he will sign the bill and implement various other tough immigration and border security-related proposals from the executive branch.
