The Senate voted Thursday to begin debate on the Laken Riley Act, clearing a key hurdle to advance a Republican-led bill aimed at cracking down on illegal immigration that has garnered significant support from Democrats.

With a vote of 84-9, the bill easily cleared the 60-vote threshold to advance in the GOP-controlled Senate. But many Democrats have suggested they want to amend the bill, so it’s unclear whether it will get enough support for final passage.

“This is an important issue. We should have a debate and amendments,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a floor speech before he voted to proceed with debate. “To remind my colleagues, this is not a vote on the bill itself. It is a motion to proceed, a vote that says we should have a debate and should have amendments.”

Some Democrats expressed openness to supporting the legislation as the party recalibrates its outlook on immigration after it was pummeled over the issue politically. In the 2024 election, voters trusted Donald Trump over Kamala Harris to handle immigration by a margin of 9 percentage points, NBC News exit polls found. And voters who cited immigration as a top issue backed Trump over Harris 89% to 9%, according to exit polls.

Read Full Article Here