Twenty-two Democrats followed through Friday on their promise to vote against the Laken Riley Act if it didn’t get Democratic amendments.
The bill overcame a final procedural vote on the immigration bill in a 61-35 vote, setting it up for final passage next week. Ten Democrats joined Republicans in voting to move forward — down from the 33 who voted to advance the bill last week.
Many Democrats said their support would rest on whether the bill had a robust amendment process. It did not: Only two of the proposed amendments — one from a Republican and one from a Democrat — received votes so far. A vote on a final amendment from Sen. Joni Ernst is expected before final passage.
Multiple Democratic senators told NOTUS that their vote against the bill on Friday was over frustration with the lack of changes.
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“I had an amendment that would have fixed the glaring problems with the bill that the Republicans would not allow to come up for a vote,” Sen. Tim Kaine said. He said his amendment “would have detained Laken Riley’s murderer, but they wouldn’t allow it to come up for a vote,” referencing the 22-year-old Georgia student who inspired the legislation.
Despite the Democratic exodus, the bill is expected to easily pass the Senate next week and then return to the House. Four senators did not vote, including Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell and Democratic co-sponsor Sen. John Fetterman, who both support the bill.
Among the 10 Democratic senators who voted to invoke cloture was Jon Ossoff, a Georgia senator up for reelection in 2026. Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock voted against the bill on Friday.
The bill, sponsored by Alabama Sen. Katie Britt, would require law enforcement to detain unauthorized immigrants after arrests for theft and expand the power of state attorneys general to influence immigration policy.
Initially, members expected to vote on four to five of the 92 offered amendments. After multiple days of negotiating, two amendments were considered on the floor on Wednesday, one from Republican Sen. John Cornyn and the second from Democratic Sen. Chris Coons, who sought to strike a section of the bill that increased the power of state attorneys general regarding immigration.
Cornyn’s amendment passed with bipartisan support, adding mandatory detention for unauthorized immigrants accused of assaulting a law enforcement officer. Coons’ failed on a party-line vote.
“Putting attorney generals in charge of micromanagement of American immigration policy is a disaster,” Sen. Chris Murphy told NOTUS on Friday.
As of Thursday, members remained under the impression that further amendments would be considered. Senators told NOTUS that they expected as many as three more amendment votes, potentially regarding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients and mandatory detention of minors.
No further Democratic amendments will go for a vote. Instead, the Senate will consider one final amendment: Ernst’s proposal would mandate detention for crimes resulting in death or serious injury.
Democrats said they needed more to support final passage.
“They didn’t make any systemic changes,” Sen. John Hickenlooper, who voted against moving forward, told NOTUS.
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Ben T.N. Mause is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.
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