Nevada Democratic U.S. Reps. Dina Titus, Steven Horsford, and Susie Lee. (Titus and Horsford photos by Jeniffer Solis, Lee photo by Michael Lyle)
Nevada’s Democratic House delegation backed federal legislation that allows undocumented immigrants to be detained for nonviolent offenses like shoplifting, and at least one of Nevada Democratic senators says she’ll vote for the bill when it is heard in that chamber.
Immigration attorneys and coalitions warn the measure would “deny due process” for people accused of a crime without conviction.
Democratic U.S. Reps. Dina Titus, Steven Horsford and Susie Lee joined Republican colleagues on Tuesday to support H.R. 29, the Laken Riley Act. The legislation passed 264-159 with 48 Democrats joining Republicans.
The legislation would allow undocumented immigrants arrested or charged with crimes like shoplifting, theft and larceny to be detained even if there isn’t a conviction.
Michael Kagan, a professor at UNLV’s Boyd School of Law, wrote in a Substack post that “the bill mandates detention based on a mere arrest — charges don’t even have to be filed (much less a conviction obtained),” adding that “the lowest ranking local police officer would gain the power to mandate the federal government to detain an immigrant.”