Mi Familia en Acción Denounces Dangerous Laken Riley Act And Texas Border Members Who Support It

Press Release


January 17, 2025

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 15, 2025

Contact: Jessica Ortiz
media@mifamiliavota.org
832-299-8958

 

Mi Familia en Acción Denounces Dangerous Laken Riley Act And Texas Border Members Who Support It

TEXAS —  The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed the Laken Riley Act, an immigration bill that would put long-settled immigrants, including DACA recipients and TPS holders, at high risk of mandatory detention, rolling back basic due process protections that ensure those who commit crimes face immigration consequences and those who are wrongfully arrested or charged do not lose status. The legislation has moved on to the Senate where it is expected to receive a vote this week. The passage of this legislation would be devastating to our country and put immigrant communities in jeopardy. 

 

Dayana Iza, Mi Familia Vota Texas State Director released the following statement in response to this news:

“The Laken Riley Act is yet another example of how the wealthy corporate class and the politicians they’ve bought try to distract and divide the public while they secure the profits they can make by persecuting immigrant and working class communities, including U.S. citizens of any racial background. We are horrified by the murder of Larkin Riley; these laws only do more harm than justice. We cannot allow singular events to outline an overall law that would harm the millions of families within the immigrant community. Mi Familia en Acción will continue to inform and empower the community every day to make sure our most vulnerable communities, including our immigrant community, know their rights and have the support they need.

To be clear, this bill does nothing to protect public safety, it could very well lead to racial profiling and wrongful arrests. It will destabilize communities while making it harder for federal authorities to do their jobs. Allowing extremist state officials to dictate immigration enforcement would shred the rule of law and erode trust in our government’s ability to lead. We cannot give in to the demagoguery and vilification of members of our communities and their families. 

We encourage families to Know Their Rights and to call their Senators and urge them not to vote for this toxic legislation.”

 

What the Laken Riley Act Does - From The Immigration Hub

  • Puts Long-Settled Immigrants, including DACA recipients and TPS holders, at High Risk of Mandatory Detention. Section 5 (S.5) of the act would put noncitizens who are integral to American families and communities at risk of detention and deportation with the roll back of basic due process protections that ensure those who commit crimes face immigration consequences and those who are wrongfully arrested or charged do not lose status. 
    • The first Trump Administration prioritized deporting individuals with no criminal record: In the first year of the Trump administration, federal arrests of undocumented immigrants with no criminal record more than tripled, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement data from his first 14 months in office.

 

  • Empower Attorneys General to Target Immigrants and Mandate Mass Detention Via Frivolous Lawsuits. The bill would allow attorneys general who are hostile to immigrants the power to sue in federal district court to overrule individual and policy decisions made by the executive branch regarding immigration detention. This provision could, among other things, result in the senseless incarceration of innumerable noncitizens without any balancing of the foreign policy, humanitarian, or budgetary consequences. This is a backdoor to mass detention.

 

  • Creates a Pipeline to Indefinite Detention for Petty Offenses. S.5 will make any immigrant who is arrested for a petty offense subject to indefinite detention. This new standard–indefinite detention without a criminal conviction–will lead to many being detained and deported for petty offenses, including those that are often dismissed. In communities where racial profiling is already documented and highly problematic, S.5 would become a weapon for targeting immigrants, making entire communities afraid to report crimes or cooperate with law enforcement.

 

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