FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 17, 2025

CONTACT: media@vera.org

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, the Senate invoked cloture on S 5/HR 29, also known as the Laken Riley Act, with the requisite votes needed for final passage in the Senate next week. This deeply harmful bill scapegoats immigrants, undermines due process, and disregards the real needs of American communities and the economy.

“Advancing and passing this bill sets the tone for the new Congress and returning administration that anti-immigrant rhetoric and policymaking will not just be tolerated, but widely embraced,” said Shayna Kessler, director, Advancing Universal Representation initiative, Vera Institute of Justice. “This bill further entrenches the false connection between immigrants and crime and lays the very groundwork needed by the Trump administration to enact its mass deportation agenda that will tear families apart, compromise community safety, and undermine our nation’s values of fairness and freedom.”

HR 29/S 5 upends due process and strips immigrants of their basic rights by mandating detention for some undocumented people who have not been convicted of a crime—or, in some instances, have not even been arrested for or charged with one. Violating the principles of fairness and due process, this bill could subject a person to permanent family separation based upon a mere accusation.

“We are extremely disappointed that the stage has been set for the 119th Congress with this harmful policy. Instead of pursuing solutions that strengthen our communities and support our economy, Congress has chosen to concede to extremism, subjecting people to racial profiling, detention, and denied due process,” said Nicole Melaku, executive director, National Partnership for New Americans. “Immigrants are vital to our communities and economy. This legislation ignores that reality and instead panders to hateful, anti-immigrant rhetoric and hands the incoming administration the tools it needs to tear American communities apart.”

All people in the United States deserve to live in safety and stability, rooted in their homes and contributing to their communities. Immigrants are an essential part of this. More than 30 percent of workers in major construction trades, nearly 28 percent of workers in key agricultural roles, and 25 percent of all housekeeping workers are undocumented people. They are essential family members, employees, neighbors, and community members who should never be denied the ability to defend their freedom.

“The Senate’s decision to pass this bill would not only violate constitutional principles but also abandon any commitment to humane and effective solutions,” added Melaku. “As the bill moves to final passage in the Senate and returns to the House, we urge our members of Congress to unequivocally reject it and instead focus on enacting solutions that defend people from harm; support the economy; and build strong, safe, and inclusive communities.”

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Fairness to Freedom: The Campaign for Universal Representation was launched by the National Partnership for New Americans and the Vera Institute of Justice in April 2022 with a coalition of over 200 organizations and legal service providers. The campaign’s goal is to support the passage of the Fairness to Freedom Act, which would establish a federal right to representation for all immigrants facing deportation.