The Senate held its final vote on the Laken Riley bill (S. 5) and it passed with 12 Democrats voting yes alongside all Republicans. When this fight began, only nine Senate Democrats stood against it. By final passage, that number grew to 35 due to strong advocacy.
Now, the bill moves to the House and your voice is desperately needed! The last time this bill (H.R. 29) came up, 48 House Democrats voted with Republicans. If Democrats don’t step up, the MAGA will get an easy first win opening the floodgates to more anti-immigration efforts.
The Dreamer Deportation Act (called the Laken Riley Act) has nothing to do with Laken Riley for whom it is named but weaponizes a tragedy to pass anti-immigration laws and demonize immigrants.
The bill requires ICE to detain immigrants who have been arrested for theft-related crimes such as burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting as defined by state and local law and mandates that ICE detain people irrespective of their immigration status.
It will target those arrested for minor, nonviolent charges, stripping them of due process, bail, and the chance to contest the accusations. It also lacks a statute of limitations and allows states to sue the federal government over immigration enforcement, even without a legitimate stake. The bill:
- Threatens Dreamers and Legal Immigrants— including those on visas – who would face heightened detention risks, tearing apart families and destabilizing communities.
- Imprisons Immigrants Indefinitely Without Trial: People can be detained indefinitely, even without a conviction or formal charges, violating due process rights.
- Empowers Anti-Immigration Extremists: State attorneys general can sue and veto federal immigration policies, creating chaos and undermining national authority.
- Shuts Down Legal Immigration Pathways: Enables blanket bans on entire countries, disrupting family reunification, and undermining pathways to citizenship.
We must oppose this. Your voice makes a difference.
What You Can Do Right Now:
- Email your Representative or call today and demand that they vote no. And thank those who are voting the right way and tell them to stand firm.
- Call PA Senators John Fetterman and Dave McCormick who already voted FOR this bill. Let them know you are paying attention and their vote of yes does not represent you or your community and that you are standing with your immigrant neighbors:
https://www.fetterman.senate.gov/contact/ Sen. Fetterman: (202) 224-4254
https://www.mccormick.senate.gov/ Sen. McCormick: (202) 224-6324
Our immigrant neighbors are being denied fundamental constitutional rights through this bill. In addition, our immigrant neighbors contribute greatly to our communities and economy. In Pennsylvania, undocumented immigrants contributed $523,100,000 in state and local taxes in 2022 – a number that would have risen to $667,000,000 if these taxpayers had been granted work authorization, according to a 2024 study of the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy.
Please join this important fight by calling your U.S. legislators TODAY. The time for action is NOW!
Source: H-CAN Immigration and Refugees Action Group, Havertown, PA
