Arizona State Senate
1700 W. Washington St.
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Press Release
PHOENIX – On Tuesday, January 7, 2025, the United States House of Representatives passed H.R. 29, also known as the Laken Riley Act. If signed into law, the Laken Riley Act would require the Department of Homeland Security to detain undocumented immigrants who are charged with theft-related crimes. It also includes language that would empower state attorneys general to sue the federal government over harms caused by illegal immigration. It was the first bill passed by the 119th Congress and received widespread support from both Republicans and Democrats.
“The Laken Riley Act is using the tragic death of a young woman to push an anti-immigration agenda, and it is discouraging to see so many Democrats throwing their support behind it,” said Senator Catherine Miranda (LD11). “It is especially disappointing to see Arizona statewide and federal elected officials support legislation that will harm Arizona’s communities of color, especially on the heels of the passage of the Prop. 314, or the Secure the Border Act, legislation that Democrats spent all of 2024 fighting against. If signed into law, the Laken Riley Act will further open up the doors to discriminate against our immigrant communities, including Dreamers, by expanding mandatory detention, mass deportation and racial profiling. It does not fix the problems within our immigration system, but it does perpetuate negative stereotypes against immigrant communities. Showing support for this bill is showing support for mass detention, mass deportation and mass racial profiling.”
“If we are serious about addressing the issues at our border, we need to pass commonsense policies that provide agencies at the border with adequate funding while also creating a better pathway to citizenship. The Laken Riley Act does the exact opposite. It erodes constitutionality protections that have been put in place for immigrants who live in the U.S. It will lead to the sweeping of thousands of people into jails and detention centers even when an immigration judge or agent does not believe they pose a threat to the community. It will lead to widespread racial profiling and create an environment where immigrants, documented and undocumented, will be scared to go about their daily life just because of their skin tone or the language that they speak. That is not acceptable,” said Senator Anna Hernandez (LD24).
“H.R. 9 will also hobble the executive branch’s ability to create immigration policy by allowing a state attorney general or ‘other authorized State official’ to sue the Secretary of Homeland Security for a wide array of immigration-related actions. It is chilling to think about the potential ways states can use that power in the future. If the fundamental American right of due process is taken away for one population, any population, then it can and will be taken away from others. This is a slippery slope that we should not head down as a free country. It will further the racist fearmongering that Republicans have been pushing for decade and help President-elect Trump uphold his promises of mass deportation. This bill does nothing to make our communities safer and will instead create a dangerous future full of xenophobic attacks on communities of color. If Congress really wanted to address issues at the border, they should pass immigration reform legislation that treats the immigrant communities with the respect and decency they deserve,” added Representative Mariana Sandoval (LD23).
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