Democratic Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington voiced her concerns on Sunday evening regarding the proposed Laken Riley Act, arguing that it would undermine “due process” for illegal immigrants despite their initial illegal border crossing. According to Jayapal, the act, which is named after a tragic victim of murder, would transform into what she described as a “highway of mass deportation.”
On January 7, the House advanced the act with a 264-159 vote, prompting the Senate to proceed with legislative debate. Appearing on MSNBC with host Jonathan Capehart, Jayapal criticized the bill’s expansion of the list of crimes mandating detention, stating that it would improperly include minor infractions.
Jayapal asserted, “Look, I think the first thing to know is that if an undocumented immigrant commits a horrendous act of murder, like what happened to Laken Riley, that person is immediately mandatorily detained and deported if they’re convicted of that.” She further criticized the bill for extending mandatory detention to offenses like shoplifting, pointing out, “Now, what this bill does, as you said, is that it expands that to shoplifting and theft, and it says that there is no due process.”
The murder of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student, underscores the heated debate surrounding the act. Riley was killed by Jose Antonio Ibarra, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela with a significant criminal record, who was convicted and sentenced to life without parole.
Explaining further, Jayapal remarked, “A shopkeeper doesn’t like the way somebody looks when they walk into the store. They accuse that person of shoplifting. That person is immediately arrested by the police and immediately turned over and mandatorily detained by within the criminal justice system, that person has not had a trial. There is no evidence that that person actually committed the crime that they’re accused of, and yet they are mandatorily detained.”
Despite these concerns, the act found support among 48 House Democrats. President-elect Donald Trump, who has promised robust immigration enforcement, emphasized crimes committed by illegal immigrants during his campaign. He pointed to the cases of Riley, Rachel Morin, and Jocelyn Nungaray as evidence of the urgent need for tighter controls, while proposing solutions for overwhelmed areas like Springfield, Ohio, which has seen a surge of Haitian migrants.
“So the way I like to think about this is that it is essentially a highway to mass deportation,” Jayapal added. “This says you can just be accused,” she continued, labeling the act as an excessive measure by Republicans to entangle undocumented immigrants in the criminal justice system without due process.
The Biden administration claims the border is secure, despite alarming numbers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection showing millions of encounters with illegal immigrants since fiscal year 2021. Illegal entry into the United States remains a criminal act under federal law, necessitating firm leadership, as promised by Trump, to restore order and ensure national safety.
some one tell that stupid bitch that entering illegally is a crime!
It would not do any good. She’s too stupid to understand it.
AMEN!!!!
Murder should be a capital crime, no deportation.
She says deport them if they’re convicted of violent crime such as murder. DEPORT them!! They’ll just come back again. Execute them!