WASHINGTON — The Republican-led House on Wednesday passed the Laken Riley Act, a strict immigration detention measure named after the 22-year-old Georgia nursing school student who was murdered by an undocumented immigrant last year.

The bill, aimed at cracking down on those who illegally commit non-violent crimes such as theft in the United States, is expected to be the first bill signed by President Donald Trump when he returns to the White House this week.

The House vote was 263-156, with 46 Democrats joining all Republicans in supporting the bill. The bill passed the Senate on Monday in a 64-35 vote, winning 12 Democratic votes. They include Sens. Gary Peters of Michigan; Jon Ossoff of Georgia; Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire; and Mark Waugh of Virginia. Mark Warner will face re-election in 2026.

In November, Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old Venezuelan citizen who was in the United States illegally, was convicted of kidnapping, assaulting and murdering Riley while she was jogging near the University of Georgia campus in Athens. Ibarra was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

On the 2024 campaign trail, Trump and Republicans have stressed that Ibarra was charged with shoplifting by Georgia State Police, but that Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not issue a detention order against him and he was not arrested. detention.

The Laken Riley Act, authored by Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., would require ICE to police and detain people accused, arrested or convicted of “burglary, theft, theft or Shoplifting” by undocumented immigrants.

An earlier version of the bill passed the House in a vote of 264 to 159, with 48 Democrats supporting it. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed the bill last year but it was ignored by the Democratic-led Senate, and President Joe Biden has never said whether he supports it.

“The Senate now has a willing partner who actually wants to address the real problems families face so that There will be no more Laken Riley."

"More innocent people will not be murdered because of open borders. President Trump has already taken action to begin reversing open borders," he added.

The Senate passed two amendments that add to the list of conduct that triggers the mandatory detention of unauthorized immigrants: one from Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, which includes assaulting a police officer; and another from Iowa. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Wash., including conduct that results in death or bodily harm to an individual.

Passage of the Laken-Riley Act comes amid fierce debate among Democrats over how to handle immigration in the wake of a crushing election defeat in 2024 and how to deal with Trump's mass deportation plan.

Pro-immigration activists blasted the bill as a plan to deny immigrants due process and subvert the system, and some Democrats called the bill an unfunded mandate that would cost billions of dollars. Other Democrats in competitive districts and states also expressed support, trying to show support for aggressive immigration enforcement.

The political slant on this issue has shifted to the right. Immigration is the fourth-biggest concern among voters in the 2024 election, according to NBC News exit polls, and these Americans voted for Trump over Democratic rival Kamala Harris 89% to 9%. Trump also gained significant ground among Latino voters, exit polls showed, and won over Latino men outright.

Addressing party divisions over the bill, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., told reporters: "Members are going to vote for their districts. Members have to balance... "Their love for this country and the work they do we want them to do at the polls."

"The Democratic caucus believes in border security," Aguilar continued. "We believe in ordering the border and fixing our broken immigration system. We also believe in ensuring public safety in our communities."

Democrats who opposed Laken-Riley's bill said it was too harsh.

New York Rep. Adriano Espaillat, the new chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said, “Laken Riley casts a wide net and targets people who commit minor crimes. People are being handcuffed, arrested and deported. In that sense, it's not a good thing," he told NBC News.

“Any discussion that’s going on here around border security, around immigration,” he said, “should include something about Dreamers, about farmworkers, about families.”

Laken Riley's father, Jason Riley, told NBC News that he was grateful to the lawmakers who supported the legislation, which he said "helps to make a difference in politics." to change the status quo.”

"I think it's a good thing," he said Wednesday. He added that he hated that her killing "became a national story" and put the family in the spotlight, but he understood "why this became so political."

"We're very happy with how things turned out," he said.