U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) on Tuesday discussed the Laken Riley Act at a press conference with Senate Republican leadership:
Thune’s remarks below (as delivered):
“Good afternoon, everyone.
“Obviously, border security was a very, very big issue in November’s election, and what the American people said is that they clearly want a change in policies when it comes to the issue of securing our border and immigration.
“The Laken Riley bill is the beginning of that change, and it is a targeted bill that’s designed to deal with a specific issue with respect to the issue of border security and security in our communities.
“And I commend Senators Katie Britt and Ted Budd for taking a leadership role on this.
“And frankly, the fact that we got a big vote on it yesterday to get on the bill, I think, is a signal that the Democrats perhaps want to play ball.
“So this is an issue that isn’t going to become a comprehensive immigration bill.
“That’s not what this is about.
“This is a targeted bill, it’s focused on a specific issue, designed to prevent tragedies like what happened to Laken Riley and the incredible heartbreak that has caused her family, never to happen again.
“So right now, what we’re doing is trying to test whether or not the Democrats want to work with us on an amendment process.
“And, but the goal here, the objective, is to get this bill across the finish line, to deal in a very direct way with a specific border issue, which is the issue of immigration enforcement, and have something that we can put on President Trump’s desk that he can sign into law early on in his new administration.”
