We are sharing this important information and call to action from our allies at Detention Watch Center. Join us in calling on the Senate to reject this bill now!
On January 7, 2025, the House of Representatives passed the Laken Riley Act, which exploits a terrible tragedy to dramatically expand mandatory detention and facilitate deportations. by further using the criminal punishment system. This will lead to many more people being detained without access to bail and will have a disproportionate impact on Black and brown communities. It will also empower attorneys general in anti-immigrant states to sue the federal government to detain and deport specific people, overturn humanitarian parole decisions, and stop issuing visas to people from certain countries. The bill passed the House of Representatives with the support of 48 Democrats and will move to the Senate as early as this Thursday (tomorrow!).
Please join nosetres in demanding that the Senate reject this bill by sending a NO recommendation to the following senators TODAY – January 8th. In particular, we recommend contacting Jon Ossoff, Angus King, and Jeanne Shaheen, who have not announced their position on this bill. You can use the template below and email the Senators' legislative directors using the list below. Included. For more information, please see this resource. National Immigration Law Center on the top 5 things you need to know about the bill's contents.
Call on the following Senators to Vote No on the Laken Riley Act
Capitol Hill Hotline: (202) 224-3121
Call script:
«Hi, I'm calling to ask you to vote NO on the Laken Riley Act, which would force ICE to detain any immigrant accused of a minor crime, even if it's unproven. For example, a single mother who desperately grabs a can of soup to feed her children, or a father who is accused of petty theft, without his case ever being prosecuted, could be detained because of this bad bill.»
Priority Senators to contact:
Arizona: Sen. Ruben Gallego and Sen. Mark Kelly
Colorado: Sen. Michael Bennet, Sen. John Hickenlooper
Delaware: Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester and Sen. Chris Coons
Georgia: Sen. Jon Ossoff, Sen. Raphael Warnock
Maine: Sen. Angus King
Michigan: Sen. Gary Peters and Sen. Elissa Slotkin
Minnesota: Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Sen. Tina Smith
Nevada: Sen. Catherine Cortez-Masto and Sen. Jacky Rosen
New Hampshire: Sen. Maggie Hassan and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen
New York: Leader Chuck Schumer
Pennsylvania: Sen. John Fetterman
Virginia: Sen. Tim Kaine and Sen. Mark Warner
Send an email to your senator
Find the Senator's Staff Email List here
Dear xx,
I urge Members of Congress to vote NO on the Laken Riley Act. This bill cynically manipulates a personal tragedy to criminalize and demonize immigrant communities. It would subject immigrants to prolonged, indefinite detention without bond based on mere allegations of petty offenses, denying them their constitutional right to defend themselves. This bill could force the indefinite detention of a single mother who steals a can of soup to feed her children, or a father who is accused — yet never convicted — of petty theft. It will also allow anti-immigrant state attorney generals to sue the federal government and unleash chaos on the immigration system.