Democrats will face an early test on how to navigate immigration under President-elect Trump on Thursday when the Laken Riley Act becomes the first bill to hit the Senate floor.

The bill, which would mandate federal detention of immigrants without legal status accused of theft, burglary and other related crimes, is set to become the first item voted on by the GOP-controlled Senate.

The measure marks an opening salvo by the new majority as it tries to put Democrats in a tough spot from the outset on an issue that proved perilously difficult for them to handle throughout the 2024 election, giving Trump and Republicans a boost in the process.

“Everyone’s got to make their decisions,” Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) said, adding that he is not worried about this issue dividing the Senate Democratic Caucus. “We’ve accepted the need to do serious reform on immigration. A lot of us supported the bipartisan immigration bill that was pretty heavy on enforcement.”

Early indications are that a sizable group of Democrats could not only vote to advance the bill, but would support the current version in a final floor vote.

Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), who was among the group of Senate Republicans who reintroduced the bill in the 119th Congress, told the Senate GOP during a lunch Wednesday that the bill has the requisite Democratic support to overcome a filibuster........

© The Hill