WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives approved on Thursday a bill ley that would require federal authorities to arrest immigrants who are in the country illegally and have been accused of theft.
Los republicans Criticism of Biden has increased after the recent murder of a Georgia nursing student, accusing him of his border policies that have created chaos. Customs and Border Protection has recorded more than 9,000,000 immigrant encounters since January 2021 when Biden arrived at the White House.
After Laken Riley, an Augusta University nursing student, was murdered last month while on her morning run, Republicans quickly introduced the “Laken Riley Act” to the House.
The initiative was easily approved by 251 votes in favor and 170 against; all Republicans and 37 Democrats voted in favor. But the nine-page bill was designed more to send a political message than to enact law, and has little chance of being accepted by the Senate, where Democrats are in the majority.
As immigration becomes a major issue in the presidential campaigns, Republicans are using nearly every tool at their disposal — including impeachment proceedings against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas — to condemn the way in which the president has addressed the issue of immigration. But Biden has also attacked Republican legislators for rejecting a bipartisan initiative last month that sought to reduce the number of illegal crossings on the border between the United States and Mexico, a last-minute proposal, three years after the crisis began. , and in the face of pressure due to immigration chaos.
Republicans argue that the bipartisan proposal has loopholes that would allow undocumented immigration
“Republicans will not allow dangerous criminals to be released into our communities, and that is exactly what the Biden administration has done,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, speaking to Fox News.
Authorities arrested José Ibarra, a Venezuelan who entered the United States illegally and was allowed to remain in the country to continue his “immigration process,” on charges of murder and assault. He has not pleaded guilty or not guilty to the allegations.
Demands
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said the NYPD detained Ibarra in August and charged him with acting to injure a child under 17 and a license violation. of driving. Ibarra was released before ICE could ask New York authorities to hold him until immigration authorities could take him into custody, the agency said. New York officials have said they have no record of the arrest.
The legislation would also allow states to sue the federal government if they can prove harm caused by immigrants entering the country illegally.
Republican Rep. Mike Collins, who sponsored the measure, posted on social media this week that he had invited Riley’s parents to the State of the Union address, but they had “chosen to remain home while grieving the loss of their daughter.” ”.
Johnson added: “Laken is just one of the tragic examples of innocent American citizens who have lost their lives, been brutally and violently attacked by illegal criminals roaming our streets.”
The speaker of the House of Representatives noted that among his guests at the State of the Union address will be New York City police officers who clashed with migrants in Times Square.
Democrats argued that Republicans have shown they are not serious about enacting changes to border policies because they rejected a bipartisan Senate proposal that would have overhauled the country’s asylum system with stricter and expedited enforcement. Republicans mostly called the proposal insufficient.
Source: With information from AP
