House · On PassagePassed
Yea 263 Nay 156 Present / not voting 14
S. 5 · 119th CongressEnacted
Laken Riley Act
Latest action. Became public lawWhat a bill becomes when enacted, numbered by Congress and order of enactment: Public Law 119-4 is the 4th law of the 119th Congress.Read the full definition (opens a new tab) No: 119-1.
Live record from Congress.gov, updated as the official record changes.
What this bill would do
Official summary · Congressional Research ServiceLaken Riley Act
This act 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, shoplifting, assault of a law enforcement officer, or any crime that results in death or serious bodily injury to another person. The act also authorizes states to sue the federal government for decisions or alleged failures related to immigration enforcement.
Under this act, 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 the above crimes.
The act 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.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Public Law" stage on January 29, 2025. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Status
Introduced
January 6, 2025
In committee
Passed a chamber
Cleared Congress
Enacted
January 29, 2025
Common questions
Composed from the official recordWhere is it in the process, and what happens next?
This bill has been enacted. It is law.
The record's latest action, on January 29, 2025: Became Public Law No: 119-1.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
Yes. 8 recorded roll-call votes cite this measure, listed further down this page with every member's position.
Who is behind it?
Katie Britt (R-AL) introduced it on January 6, 2025, and 53 members have since signed on as cosponsors.
They come from both major parties: 2 Democrats, 51 Republicans.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenatePassed on a recorded vote
- HousePassed on a recorded vote
- PresidentSigned into law
Senate · S. 5, As Amended; A bill to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to take into custody aliens who have been charged in the United States with theft, and for other purposes.Passed
Yea 64 Nay 35 Present / not voting 0
Senate · Ernst Amdt No. 8, As Amended; To include crimes resulting in death or serious bodily injury to the list of offenses that, if committed by an inadmissible alien, require mandatory detention.Agreed to
Yea 75 Nay 24 Present / not voting 0
Senate · Motion to Invoke Cloture: S. 5; A bill to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to take into custody aliens who have been charged in the United States with theft, and for other purposes.Agreed to
Yea 61 Nay 35 Present / not voting 0
Senate · Coons Amdt. No. 23; To strike the section that authorizes State attorneys general to sue Federal immigration authorities for alleged violations relating to the detention of aliens.Rejected
Yea 46 Nay 49 Present / not voting 0
Senate · Cornyn Amdt. No. 14; To expand the list of criminal offenses that subject inadmissible aliens to mandatory detention.Agreed to
Yea 70 Nay 25 Present / not voting 0
Senate · Motion to Proceed to S. 5; A bill to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to take into custody aliens who have been charged in the United States with theft, and for other purposes.Agreed to
Yea 82 Nay 10 Present / not voting 0
Senate · Motion to Invoke Cloture: Motion to Proceed to S. 5; A bill to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to take into custody aliens who have been charged in the United States with theft, and for other purposes.Agreed to
Yea 84 Nay 9 Present / not voting 0