The U.S. House has passed a bill that mandates federal officials detain undocumented immigrants involved in theft-related crimes until removal from the U.S.
The Laken Riley Act, named after a nursing student murdered in February 2024 on the campus of the University of Georgia, passed Tuesday with a vote of 264-to-159. The bill, sponsored by Georgia Republican Representative Mike Collins, also allows states to take civil action against federal officials for failing to enforce immigration laws and enables state attorneys general to sue the Secretary of Homeland Security for enforcement failures.
Kansas Republican House members Tracey Mann, Derek Schmidt, and Ron Estes voted for the bill, along with Democratic congresswoman Sharice Davids.
The bill is expected to go to a vote this week in the Senate. Kansas Senator Roger Marshall is among the senators who re-introduced the bill Tuesday.
