Political Integrity Network
HR 29 · 119th Congress · House

Laken Riley Act

In progress
IntroducedJan 3, 2025
Policy areaImmigration
Cosponsors54
What this bill is intended to do

Laken Riley Act This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain certain non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law) who have been arrested for burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting. The bill also authorizes states to sue the federal government for decisions or alleged failures related to immigration enforcement. Under this bill, DHS must detain an individual who (1) is unlawfully present in the United States or did not possess the necessary documents when applying for admission; and (2) has been charged with, arrested for, convicted of, or admits to having committed acts that constitute the essential elements of burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting. The bill also authorizes state governments to sue for injunctive relief over certain immigration-related decisions or alleged failures by the federal government if the decision or failure caused the state or its residents harm, including financial harm of more than $100. Specifically, the state government may sue the federal government over a decision to release a non-U.S. national from custody; failure to fulfill requirements relating to inspecting individuals seeking admission into the United States, including requirements related to asylum interviews; failure to fulfill a requirement to stop issuing visas to nationals of a country that unreasonably denies or delays acceptance of nationals of that country; violation of limitations on immigration parole, such as the requirement that parole be granted only on a case-by-case basis; or failure to detain an individual who has been ordered removed from the United States.

Latest action

Feb 10, 2025Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 10.

How Congress voted · House roll call 6 · Jan 7, 2025
264 Yea159 Nay11 Not voting

Passed

How each party voted
Republicans215–0
Democrats48–159
Independents1–0

Revealed positions from the official roll call.

F50

The Laken Riley Act mandates the detention of certain aliens charged with theft and allows state attorneys general to enforce immigration laws through civil actions. The bill expands the powers of state officials in immigration enforcement and outlines specific legal procedures for detaining aliens involved in theft-related offenses.

Category gradesMembers of The Quiet Ledger see the full per-category breakdown of how this bill was graded.
Structural flags⚑ Spends without a pay-for