Border state Democrat Ruben Gallego backs GOP’s Laken Riley Act ahead of Senate vote

FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., became the second Democrat to co-sponsor the Laken Riley Act, which will get a vote on the Senate floor Friday after passing the House on Tuesday. 

The measure would require Immigration and Customs Enforcement to arrest and detain illegal immigrants that have committed theft, burglary or shoplifting until they are deported. Under the bill, states would also have standing to take civil action against members of the federal government who do not enforce immigration law. 

“Arizonans know the real-life consequences of today’s border crisis,” Gallego told Fox News Digital in a statement. “We must give law enforcement the means to take action when illegal immigrants break the law, to prevent situations like what occurred to Laken Riley.”

“I will continue to fight for the safety of Arizonans by pushing for comprehensive immigration reform and increased border security.” 

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Gallego is the second Democrat co-sponsor of the Laken Riley Act. (Getty Images)

The bill was re-introduced in the 119th Congress by Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., in the House and Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., in the Senate. It was named for the 22-year-old Augusta University nursing student who was found dead on the University of Georgia campus in February. Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old illegal immigrant, was found guilty on 10 total counts, including felony murder. He initially pleaded not guilty.

He was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole in November. 

The House passed the bill, 264 to 159, on Tuesday, with 48 Democrats joining Republicans.

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Republicans plan to push through the Laken Riley Act now that they have an incoming trifecta in Washington. (Getty Images)

“I’d like to thank Senator Gallego for cosponsoring the bipartisan Laken Riley Act. This commonsense legislation would keep American families safe, and every single senator should support it,” Britt said in a statement after Gallego joined the bill. 

The Alabama senator reintroduced the bill in the Senate on Tuesday after first debuting it last year. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., quickly teed the measure up for a floor vote on Friday. 

Britt’s bill has the full backing of every Republican in the Senate and is now co-sponsored by Democrat Sens. John Fetterman, D-Pa., and Gallego. 

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Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania was the bill’s first Democrat co-sponsor. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images/File)

Gallego notably voted in favor of the bill in the House last year, one of a few dozen Democrats to do so. 

The Arizona Democrat won the swing state’s Senate race in November, taking over the seat vacated by former Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., who did not run for re-election. Gallego defeated Trump ally Kari Lake in the election, despite President-elect Donald Trump carrying the battleground state. 

On Tuesday, a spokesperson for Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., revealed to Fox News Digital he would be voting in favor of the measure. The Democrat is up for re-election in Michigan in 2026, another state won by Trump. 

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Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., is up for re-election in 2026. (REUTERS/Mike Segar/File)

Republicans will ultimately have a 53-seat majority in the Senate. However, because Sen.-elect Jim Justice of West Virginia delayed his swearing-in, the conference only has a 52-seat majority. 

To overcome the legislative filibuster, the bill needs 60 votes. The measure’s fate is thus expected to come down to the votes of a handful of Democrats.

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In particular, the vote will put a spotlight on the Georgia Senate delegation, as Riley was a constituent of theirs. All eyes will be on Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., who has his own re-election battle in 2026 in yet another Trump-won state.

Ossoff did not provide comment to Fox News Digital in time for publication.