Democrats join with Republicans to take major step toward Senate passage of GOP-led immigration bill

A significant number of Senate Democrats voted with Republicans on Thursday to advance a GOP-led bill to require the detention of undocumented migrants charged with certain crimes – a key step that puts the legislation on the verge of passage.

A significant number of Senate Democrats voted with Republicans on Thursday to advance a GOP-led bill to require the detention of undocumented migrants charged with certain crimes – a key step that puts the legislation on the verge of passage. The bill steadily picked up support from Senate Democrats, including from battleground states where President-elect Donald Trump won last fall, after passing out of the House earlier in the week. Democrats are under pressure to show they will act on immigration in the wake of an election cycle where Republicans attacked the party as weak on the border. In the aftermath of Trump’s win, some Democrats have said the party must do more to address voter concerns over the issue. If the bill ultimately passes the Senate, it will hand an early win to Republicans, who chose to bring up the legislation as their first bill of the new Congress now that they control both chambers. The bill would require the detention of undocumented migrants charged with theft or burglary. The legislation is named after a Georgia student who was killed last year while she was out for a run. An undocumented migrant from Venezuela was convicted and sentenced to life without parole in the case that reignited a national debate over immigration and crime. The legislation still faces hurdles ahead and it is uncertain if it will make it across the finish line in the Senate.