Republicans’ first immigration bill in the new Congress will clear a critical hurdle in the Senate on Friday, advancing with bipartisan support.
Its chances at passage are still unclear, however.
Nine Democratic-aligned senators have said they plan to vote in favor of advancing the Laken Riley Act on Friday, which would begin debate for the bill and break the filibuster. The bill would mandate detaining undocumented immigrants who are charged with theft or burglary.
Those senators include:
However, typical Senate rules also require 60 senators to end debate on a bill before a final passage vote, which can then be done by a simple majority. It’s unclear how many of those Democrats plan to continue voting to advance the bill — several indicated they still have problems with the legislation.
Ossoff said he’d vote to advance the bill on Friday to begin debate. Hickenlooper does not support the bill in his current form, a spokesperson told POLITICO. Duckworth said in a brief interview she’d support beginning debate but added: “I have real concerns about it, not the least of which is it's an unfunded mandate.”
Other Democrats have been noncommittal on supporting the measure. It’s a signal of shifting sentiments inside the Democratic Party on immigration and border concerns following the 2024 election — the legislation was passed by the House in the last Congress, but Democrats in the Senate didn’t take it up.
The House passed the bill on Tuesday with notable bipartisan support.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this report misspelled Jon Ossoff's name.