Michigan Democrats back bill to crack down on illegal immigrants

Melissa Nann Burke, The Detroit News on Jan 9, 2025

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WASHINGTON ― Four Michigan Democrats this week showed support for a bill requiring the detention of undocumented immigrants charged with nonviolent crimes ― the first piece of legislation taken up this year by the new Republican-led Congress.

The Laken Riley Act is named for a nursing student killed in Georgia last year by a migrant who entered the U.S. illegally and, while arrested and charged with shoplifting, was not detained.

Both Democratic Michigan Sens. Gary Peters of Bloomfield Township and Elissa Slotkin of Holly plan to vote to advance the measure Thursday afternoon, their offices said.

In the House, two Michigan congresswomen representing competitive districts, Reps. Hillary Scholten of Grand Rapids and first-term Kristen McDonald Rivet of Bay City, were among 48 Democrats to vote yes Tuesday with all Republican lawmakers on the bill.

The number of Democratic votes is an increase from the 37 who supported the bill last year.

“We have to keep our communities safe. This bill is a step in the right direction,” McDonald Rivet said in a statement.

“Still, we have a lot more work to do, and I will work with Republicans and Democrats to make sure that we secure our Southern border and reform our legal immigration system, so that it is safe, fair and meets our communities' needs.”

If enacted, the bill would require immigration authorities to detain undocumented immigrants charged with burglary, theft, larceny or shoplifting. This expands the list of charges that would subject migrants to potentially being deported.

The bill also authorizes state attorneys general to sue the federal government for alleged failures related to immigration enforcement that harmed the state or its residents.

“Within one week of this Congress, House Republicans have already passed a law to deport the next Jose Ibarra,” said Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Bruce Township, referring to the Venezuelan man who got a life sentence for Riley’s killing.

“He should have never been in the country, and he needed to be removed a lot sooner. This bill will make our communities safer and help us prevent another Laken Riley incident.”

The growing number of Democrats siding with Republicans on the legislation comes after the GOP swept control of both chambers of Congress and the White House last fall after campaigning on promises to crack down on border security and immigration enforcement.

“Michiganders have spoken loudly and clearly that they want action to secure our Southern border,” said Slotkin, who also voted for the bill while in the House last year.

“We must get past petty partisanship that continues to dominate the immigration debate.”

She complained the bill doesn’t address “root causes of our broken immigration system” and said she hoped there’d be an amendment process.

Peters didn’t publicly weigh in on the bill except to indicate through a spokeswoman that he plans to support it. He is up for reelection next year.

Other Michigan Democratic lawmakers slammed the legislation as a “misleading” messaging bill that exploits the death of Riley without enacting any serious reforms.

Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor, said the legislation fails to ensure constitutional due process protections for the accused. She noted the U.S. already has laws to ensure people who commit serious crimes can be deported.

“Under this bill, someone could make a false accusation for retaliatory reasons that could destroy a person’s life,” Dingell said. “It is written in such a way that could lead to the detention of people who had no intention of harming anyone, without ever being convicted of a crime.”

Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet, said the bill was needed to respond to the “open borders” and policy of “catch and release” of undocumented immigrants under Biden.

He said the Democrats getting behind the bill now are trying to do “damage control” and reestablish their party’s identity after getting “hammered” in the November election.

“This was an opportunity for us, the 119th Congress, coming in to show the American people that we're going to fix some of the problems of the past four years under the Biden administration,” Bergman said.

The legislation also passed the House last term but died in the Democrat-controlled Senate.

It is unclear if the bill can get the 60 votes required in the now GOP-led Senate — split 52-47 — to advance most legislation; however, other Democrats indicated support this week including Sens. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Ruben Gallego of Arizona, both of whom co-sponsored the bill.

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