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NH's all Democratic delegation joins GOP to pass Laken Riley Act

The U.S. Capitol building in April 2024. Zoey Knox photo / NHPR
Zoey Knox
/
NHPR
The U.S. Capitol building in April 2024. Zoey Knox photo / NHPR

New Hampshire's all Democratic congressional delegation joined Republicans this week to back the Laken Riley Act, which requires undocumented immigrants who are arrested for theft or violent crimes to be held in jail pending trial.

The bill, which was named for a nursing student murdered in Georgia last year by a Venezuelan man in the U.S. without legal status, won final approval in the House Wednesday by a vote of 263-156. U.S. Reps Chris Pappas and Maggie Goodlander were among the 46 Democrats who backed the GOP-sponsored bill.

In the Senate, which passed its version of the bill Monday, New Hampshire Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan were among the 12 Democrats in that chamber to back the measure. The bill now heads to President Donald Trump for his signature.

Last year, when the Senate was under Democratic control, an earlier version of the bill stalled there. Its fresh support among some Democrats in the Senate came from members seen as politically vulnerable, who represent swing states, or who face reelection next year, like Shaheen.

“I voted in favor of the Laken Riley Act because it’s critical we take action to keep dangerous people off the streets and crack down on criminal activity to prevent senseless tragedies,” Shaheen said in a statement. “This bill is not a comprehensive effort, and let’s be very clear: There is more work to do to fix our broken immigration systems.”

The Homeland Security Department estimates the Laken Riley Act would cost $26.9 billion to implement in its first year and would require ICE to expand its detention facilities by more than 100,000 beds and hire thousands of new staff.

Opponents of the bill note that data shows immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than those born in the U.S., and say the act would deprive immigrants of due process.

Grace Kindeke of the American Friends Service Committee of New Hampshire, which advocates for immigrant rights, said she was disappointed but not surprised by how New Hampshire’s delegation voted.

“We are a nation of laws, we are a nation that believes in the due process rights of people, but apparently we don’t believe that if you are an immigrant,” Kindeke said. “They are actually supporting Trump’s immigration agenda by passing a law that would help give him the infrastructure that would give him even more power to extract out community members.”

The bill’s passage is an early legislative win for Trump on immigration amid the flurry of executive orders he’s signed aimed at better sealing the U.S.-Mexico border and deporting immigrants here without legal status.

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I cover campaigns, elections, and government for NHPR. Stories that attract me often explore New Hampshire’s highly participatory political culture. I am interested in how ideologies – doctrinal and applied – shape our politics. I like to learn how voters make their decisions and explore how candidates and campaigns work to persuade them.
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