Law against undocumented migrants and suspects of theft would be the first that Donald Trump will sign

The United States Senate, with a Republican majority, is preparing this week to approve, with the support of some Democrats, what would be the first bill of law ofimmigration of Donald Trump in his second term, and that, according to its critics, opens the way for indiscriminate arrests of undocumented immigrants.

The law named Laken Riley, A university student murdered on a Georgia campus in February 2024 by Venezuelan José Ibarra, sentenced to life in prison, would require immigration authorities to detain the undocumented immigrants accused, suspected or detained in cases of robbery and related crimes, without their guilt having been proven.

In addition, the project guarantees states the possibility of suing the federal government for a “very wide range” of measures related to immigration, which would hinder the ability of the Executive to define policies on this issue, regardless of which party is in the party. power, according to the National Immigration Law Center (NILC).

The full Senate is expected to begin debating the project this afternoon, which was approved by the House of Representatives last week. with the support of all Republicans and 48 Democrats.

The initiative has a promising future in the Upper House with 84 senators, including 31 Democrats, who voted last week to advance the plan for debate.

Newly elected Arizona Senator Rubén Gallego, who is of Mexican and Colombian origin, is one of the Democrats who has shown strong support for the legislation.

“We must give law enforcement the means to take action When illegal immigrants break the law, to prevent situations like what happened to Laken Riley,” he said in a statement.

Gallego joined the outrage caused by the death of the young woman, which served as fuel for Trump, who takes office next Monday, to combat undocumented immigration. their greatest political weapon to win the elections and obtain the majority in Congress.

Senator John Fetterman (D-Pa.) supports the project, calling it “necessary.”

For Miguel Tinker Salas, political analyst and professor of Latin American Studies at Pomona University, it is not surprising that Democrats have toughened their immigration policies.

“This is a victory for the Republicans who managed to drag the Democrats with their rhetoric of criminalizing immigrants and strengthening their ideas of white privilege, and the loss of American culture, security and employment,” the professor told EFE. .

Pablo Alvarado, co-director of the National Day Laborers Network (NDLON), agrees with Salas that Democrats “are giving up left and right” ahead of Trump’s inauguration.

The activist hopes that the Senate will approve the bill in these days so that President Joe Biden can veto it before leaving the White House. However, he is aware that the Republicans will surely delay its approval to deliver it as a victory the first law that Trump would sign after assuming power.

Immigrant advocates have united their voices against the project, warning of the power it will give to officials such as Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Republican, to persecute undocumented immigrants, regardless of whether they are really criminals.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) assures that the law will allow racial discrimination when punishing non-violent crimes, and will create legal chaos.

The New York Immigration Coalition stressed that the law eliminates due process for these people and would allow the deportation of undocumented immigrants “charged with non-violent crimes” who have not been found guilty, including for shoplifting.

The organizations have placed their trust in Democrats such as Senator Alex Padilla of California to stop the law, which It needs 60 votes to be approved.

Padilla said in an interview with NBC that he opposes the measure as written, considering that it does nothing to improve immigration policy and that Existing laws already allow for the detention and deportation of immigrants who commit violent crimes.