Fetterman cosponsors GOP-led Laken Riley bill, one of the few Democrats backing it
Source: he Philadelphia Inquirer
Sen. John Fetterman is the lone Senate Democrat cosponsoring a Republican-led bill that would require federal authorities to detain undocumented immigrants arrested for theft-related crimes.
The bill, passed with bipartisan support in the House on Tuesday, is slated to come up for a Senate vote on Friday. In addition to requiring federal detention of undocumented immigrants who commit theft, it would allow states to sue the Department of Homeland Security for harm caused to their citizens because of illegal immigration, greatly expanding the authority of state attorneys general.
Lawmakers named the legislation after Laken Riley, a 22-year-old Augusta University nursing student who was murdered while jogging at the University of Georgia. Her convicted killer, Jose Ibarra, had entered the U.S. illegally and had previously been released after an arrest for stealing merchandise from a Walmart store. He was sentenced to life without parole in November.
“Laken Riley’s story is a tragic reminder of what’s at stake when our systems fail to protect people,” Fetterman said in a joint news release sent by the bill’s sponsor, Sen. Katie Britt (R., Ala.). “No family should have to endure the pain of losing a loved one to preventable violence,” the Pennsylvania Democrat continued. “Immigration is what makes our country great. I support giving authorities the tools to prevent tragedies like this one while we work on comprehensive solutions to our broken system.”
Read more: https://www.inquirer.com/politics/john-fetterman-laken-riley-bill-immigration-20250107.html

Groundhawg
(1,114 posts)LymphocyteLover
(7,668 posts)yardwork
(66,035 posts)Fetterman is doing what he thinks his constituents want.
LymphocyteLover
(7,668 posts)yardwork
(66,035 posts)Fetterman is really unique in politics. Sort of in the John McCain model.
Fullduplexxx
(8,440 posts)shortly before leaving office
In a Saturday post on X, A.J. Delgado, a former Trump 2016 campaign aide, shared how based off the reported timing of when Ibarra crossed into the U.S., the blame is to be put on Trump.
https://www.newsweek.com/ex-trump-aide-casts-blame-donald-trump-laken-riley-death-1873437
LymphocyteLover
(7,668 posts)not to mention the special carve out Trump made for asylum for Venezuelan immigrants that led to huge numbers of migrants from there under Biden
JT45242
(3,222 posts)The Idiocracy is in full swing... already
Unladen Swallow
(491 posts)Miguelito Loveless
(4,889 posts)for people killed by immigrants in Texas 0.51 per 100K
Firearms death in Texas 15.1 per 100K
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/have-undocumented-killed-63000-us-9-11/
https://usafacts.org/answers/how-many-people-die-from-gun-related-injuries-in-the-us-each-month/state/texas/
Unladen Swallow
(491 posts)And no mention of assault weapons, just guns in general?
LymphocyteLover
(7,668 posts)Unladen Swallow
(491 posts)so when and if I share this information, and am invariably questioned about it, I have a leg to stand on.
travelingthrulife
(1,945 posts)guns.
yardwork
(66,035 posts)travelingthrulife
(1,945 posts)Miguelito Loveless
(4,889 posts)are primarily used in mass shootings, I would guess the number of immigrants committing mass murder with assault rifles is even lower.
elleng
(139,031 posts)for theft-related crimes.'
ZonkerHarris
(25,577 posts)Paladin
(29,963 posts)johnnyfins
(1,891 posts)Which is probably the more likely issue.
yardwork
(66,035 posts)He was elected on a populist platform and he wants to be reelected. PA went for Trump this past election, and threw out a Democratic senator who seemed to be popular. Since the election Fetterman has signaled a shift to the right.
LymphocyteLover
(7,668 posts)under the new regime
yaesu
(8,622 posts)Last edited Wed Jan 8, 2025, 03:09 PM - Edit history (1)
Omnipresent
(6,794 posts)Kyrsten Manchin!
bluestarone
(19,344 posts)Manchin, Sinema types. Yuck just Yuck!
jgmiller
(533 posts)We always complain that the GOP are bunch of lemmings following their leader in lockstep and not doing what they think is right so we shouldn't immediately complain when a dem does it. Fetterman from what I can see is not Manchin and Sinema, he has his reasons for doing stuff like this but when it comes time for the big stuff he does the right thing. Also this bill is basically a do nothing bill, it's designed to appeal to the public and is a waste of time but as things go it could have been far worse.
HereForTheParty
(787 posts)Devil is in the details.
Jose Garcia
(3,131 posts)FakeNoose
(37,049 posts)... however the way it could be used in the wrong hands. Too many "red counties" and "red states" could take this as permission to detain ALL immigrants, or to over-scrutinize their documentation to the point where they lose their freedom even if they've committed no crimes. If that ever happens, it will signal that we've become a police state.
Senator Fetterman is smart to reach across the aisle, and at least try to keep a dialog going with the Repukes. I don't have a problem with that. Maybe he can use his influence (whatever influence he may have) to keep their worst impulses in check. I don't think Joe Manchin or Kyrsten Sinema ever tried to do that, and I'm glad they are gone.
Polybius
(19,623 posts)Only a few Democrats there support it as of now.
awesomerwb1
(4,711 posts)This ridiculous bill will pass the senate as well, as Dems are folding.
Abnredleg
(1,048 posts)68 percent want immigration to either decrease or remain the same - up from 50% in 2023.
https://news.gallup.com/poll/647123/sharply-americans-curb-immigration.aspx
Elessar Zappa
(16,318 posts)There’s ways to reduce illegal immigration that will actually work. But Republicans aren’t interested in those solutions.