Colorado Democrats voted in lockstep against the Laken Riley Act to detain illegal aliens who commit theft-related crimes and allow states to sue the feds on behalf of their citizens for not enforcing border laws.
The bill passed the House on a 264-159 vote, with 48 Democrats crossing party lines to support the measure. It now goes to the GOP-controlled Senate for a vote.
Voting for the bill were Colorado Republican U.S. Reps. Jeff Crank, Gabe Evans, Jeff Hurd, and Lauren Boebert.
Voting against the legislation were Diana DeGette, Jason Crow, Brittany Pettersen and Joe Neguse.
As the grandson of an immigrant and a former police officer, I support efforts to prioritize deporting gangsters, not grandmas.
Until Colorado follows the Laken Riley Act, our state will be stuck in a tailspin. pic.twitter.com/VNvzAKF0jZ
— Congressman Gabe Evans (@repgabeevans) January 7, 2025
The bill was named for the Georgia nursing student who was raped and murdered by Jose Ibarra, who was previously arrested for shoplifting but never detained by immigration officials.
The bill applies only to non-citizens and requires immigration officials to take into custody those accused of committing burglary, theft, larceny and shoplifting.
PeakNation™ will recall that in Aurora, the illegal alien from Venezuela who was arrested in November for raping a 14-year-old girl had also been arrested and released on charges of forgery, counterfeiting, and larceny but turned loose.
It’s unclear why Colorado Democrats voted against this measure, or which crimes and how many an illegal immigrant must commit before Democrats think immigration officials should take action.
However, Crow, who represents Aurora, said immigration officials should not be able to take illegal aliens into custody unless they have already been convicted of the crime for which they were arrested.
Of course, that system doesn’t work when prosecutors refuse to prosecute, and police are stuck in a cycle of catch and release.