US Congress Passes Bill to Detain Illegal Immigrants

The US Congress on Wednesday delivered Republican President Donald Trump legislation requiring the detention of immigrants living in the US illegally who are accused of theft, with a significant number of Democrats voting in favor.

- Agencies

WASHINGTON:

The Republican-majority House of Representatives, by a vote of 263-156, passed and sent to Trump for signing into law the Laken Riley Act. It is expected to be the first of several steps by Republicans this year to tighten border security and further slow the flow of migrants into the United States.

The House passed the bill with 46 Democrats joining 217 Republicans.

The Senate earlier this week did so with the help of 12 out of 47 Democrats and independents who caucus with them. Without those one-dozen votes the measure would have died in Congress for now.

The bill is named after a college student murdered in the state of Georgia by a man from Venezuela who was living in the US illegally and who had a prior record of shoplifting. He is now serving a life sentence in prison.