As an immigrant rights organization, it is our moral duty to defend the due process and constitutional rights of all immigrants. That is why we condemn Congress for passing the Laken Riley Act. After such a horrifying start to the new administration, it is exhausting and heartbreaking to know that this is the first anti-immigrant bill President Trump will sign into law. It will help advance his mass deportation agenda.
The Laken Riley Act mandates the detention and deportation of undocumented immigrants merely accused of theft-related offenses without due process, the right to bail, and with no provision to free them if the charges are later dropped.
Congress passed the bill despite the lack of correlation between immigrants and rising crime. Statistical evidence proves that immigrants are less likely to commit crimes compared to U.S. citizens.
The Laken Riley Act contains no exceptions for victims of domestic violence. It has long been recognized by our immigration system that abusers of domestic violence often call the police on their undocumented victims as a form of power and control. This was the reason a pathway to lawful residence for undocumented victims of gender-based violence was included in Congress’ landmark Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994. The Laken Riley Act is a major step backward for the protections granted by VAWA. It gives abusers another tool to use against their immigrant victims.
The Act also provides no exception for immigrant minors and children. The law will result in the indefinite incarceration of immigrant children and the separation of families. This law is a setback to juvenile justice.
Additionally, the Laken Riley Act allows the states with legal standing to sue the federal government when they disagree with the lack of immigration enforcement. This will result in federal agencies being forced to face litigation for any immigration action, making our immigration system even more chaotic and our work as immigration legal services providers even more difficult.
Immigration Law & Justice Network demands that Congress find immigration solutions that work. This must include comprehensive immigration reform and pathways to citizenship. We decry the passage of the Laken Riley Act and stand in solidarity with the immigrants who will be stripped of due process and separated from their families.