Incoming US President Donald Trump, May 30, 2024. Timothy A. Clary, AFP/File

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:511px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1736299496948172120523294720240530-trump-convicted-AFP.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Incoming US President Donald Trump, May 30, 2024. Timothy A. Clary, AFP/File</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>US lawmakers voted Tuesday to expand pre-trial incarceration for foreign criminal suspects as a new Congress unified under Republican control works to deliver on Donald Trump&#x27;s vow to crack down on illegal immigration.</p><p>The Laken Riley Act -- which calls for the detention of undocumented immigrants charged with theft-related crimes -- is named for a 22-year-old student murdered by a Venezuelan man with no papers who was wanted for shoplifting.</p><p>&quot;As promised, we&#x27;re starting today with border security. If you polled the populace and voters, they would tell you that that was the top of the list,&quot; Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters ahead of the vote in the House of Representatives.</p><p>&quot;And we have a lot to do there to fix it -- it&#x27;s an absolute disaster because of what has happened over the last four years -- and the Laken Riley Act is a big part of that.&quot;</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2024/12/17/under-trump-us-families-gird-for-potential-deportations-1022">Under Trump, US families gird for potential deportations</a></div><p>The legislation -- Congress&#x27;s first bill of the new session -- already passed the House last year, with Republicans keen to highlight what they described as weak border security policies from President Joe Biden.</p><p>It was stalled in the Democratic-controlled Senate but is expected to get a vote as soon as Friday in the newly-inaugurated upper chamber, which flipped to the Republicans in November&#x27;s elections.</p><p>The bill will likely need at least eight opposition votes and could face a Democratic blockade, despite being co-sponsored by the party&#x27;s centrist Pennsylvania senator, John Fetterman.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/world/2024/11/18/trump-confirms-plan-to-use-military-for-mass-deportation-606">Trump confirms plan to use military for mass deportation</a></div><p>A statement from House Minority Whip Katherine Clark&#x27;s office accused Republicans of &quot;attempting to use a horrible tragedy for political gain&quot; and said the bill would expand detentions without increasing funding.</p><p>In the end, 48 House Democrats voted for the legislation as advanced from the House by 264 votes to 159 -- a small increase from when it was last considered.</p><p>Trump has promised to crack down on border crossings and carry out mass deportations once he takes office on January 20 and has named Tom Homan, a veteran hardline immigration official, as his &quot;border czar.&quot;</p><p>The president-elect repeatedly spotlighted Laken Riley&#x27;s case during his election campaign as he railed against undocumented migrants, blaming them for &quot;poisoning the blood&quot; of the country.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/11/8/envoy-advises-illegal-filipino-immigrants-to-leave-us-voluntarily-after-trump-win-1233">Envoy advises illegal Filipino immigrants to leave US voluntarily after Trump win</a></div><p>Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, was convicted of her murder after she was found dead in a wooded area at the University of Georgia in Athens.</p><p>&quot;The Laken Riley Act is a direct step toward ensuring that criminal illegal aliens are swiftly and permanently removed from our communities and our country,&quot; said Republican House Whip Tom Emmer.</p><p>&quot;This bill is more than just a piece of legislation. It&#x27;s a return to common sense American values and, under President Trump&#x27;s leadership, there will be a lot more where that came from as we restore the rule of law and put Americans first again.&quot; </p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2024/12/16/-law-abiding-filipinos-in-us-not-target-of-trump-s-deportation-policy-dfa-exec-1359">‘Law-abiding’ Filipinos in US not target of Trump’s deportation policy: DFA exec</a></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

<p>US lawmakers voted Tuesday to expand pre-trial incarceration for foreign criminal suspects as a new Congress unified under Republican control works to deliver on Donald Trump's vow to crack down on illegal immigration.</p>

US lawmakers voted Tuesday to expand pre-trial incarceration for foreign criminal suspects as a new Congress unified under Republican control works to deliver on Donald Trump's vow to crack down on illegal immigration.

US House begins work on Trump immigration crackdown | ABS-CBN

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US House begins work on Trump immigration crackdown

US House begins work on Trump immigration crackdown

Agence France-Presse

Published Jan 08, 2025 09:27 AM PHT

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