News & Resources
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 23, 2025
PRESS CONTACT
Spencer Tilger | media@refugeerights.org
“POLITICAL COWARDICE”: IRAP DENOUNCES PASSAGE OF LAKEN RILEY ACT
(New York, NY) – Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed the amended Senate version of the Laken Riley Act. All House Republicans and 46 House Democrats voted for the bill, which received support from all Senate Republicans and 12 Senate Democrats. The anti-immigrant legislation is expected to be the first bill signed into law since President Trump’s inauguration.
The following is a statement from Hannah Flamm, Acting Director of Policy at the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP):
“The passage of the Laken Riley Act marks another grim milestone in the Trump administration’s accelerating assaults on immigrant families and the rule of law. The legislation gives an administration hellbent on tearing apart families and advancing its xenophobic agenda even more power to detain members of our communities.
This law is the direct result of political cowardice. The Laken Riley Act does not make anyone safer: it opportunistically exploits a tragic death to advance a vicious political agenda to deprive immigrants of basic rights and liberties. Apart from its senseless provisions authorizing mandatory detention–without conviction or even charges filed–for alleged petty crimes, this law hands out new powers on immigration matters to state attorneys general that could wreak havoc on federal courts and U.S. foreign policy. It gives local politicians seeking to scapegoat immigrant populations veto power over matters of national diplomacy.
The passage of this bill, with bipartisan support, is a shameful lesson. Without national political leadership championing human dignity and immigrant rights unequivocally, we are entering a race to the bottom with no end. Now is the time for Congress to provide a check on the Trump administration’s mounting assault on migrant rights.”
Additional Resources
- Read IRAP’s statement on the suspension of USRAP: IRAP Warns of Sweeping Harms and Tragic Consequences of Refugee Suspension Executive Order, Cancellation of Refugee Travel
- Read IRAP’s statement on Trump immigration executive orders: IRAP Condemns Announced Trump Immigration Executive Orders, Vows to Continue “Fight for a More Welcoming Future for All”
The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) is a global legal aid and advocacy organization working to create a world where refugees and all people seeking safety are empowered to claim their right to freedom of movement and a path to lasting refuge. Everyone should have a safe place to live and a safe way to get there.
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