The News
Democrats are gaming out what will happen if their efforts to amend the Laken Riley Act fall short — will enough of them push the bill over the final filibuster?
“I’m generally supportive of it,” Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., told Semafor, as the Senate voted 82-10 to advance the bill on Monday. “I don’t necessarily think all of those votes will be there if there aren’t amendments.”
Indeed, some Democrats said they won’t support the bill absent more changes, which could include exempting Dreamers and requiring undocumented immigrants to be convicted of crimes, not just accused of them, before they can be detained.
One Democrat who would vote no without changes, Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, said Democrats “have the leverage to negotiate for amendments.”
Lead Republican sponsor Sen. Katie Britt said of potential alterations: “I haven’t seen anything in writing... Certainly wish I had something by now.”