# H.R. 29 (119th): Laken Riley Act

Laken Riley Act This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain certain non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law) who have been arrested for burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting. The bill also authorizes states to sue the federal government for decisions or alleged failures related to immigration enforcement. Under this bill, DHS must detain an individual who (1) is unlawfully present in the United States or did not possess the necessary documents when applying for admission; and (2) has been charged with, arrested for, convicted of, or admits to having committed acts that constitute the essential elements of burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting. The bill also authorizes state governments to sue for injunctive relief over certain immigration-related decisions or alleged failures by the federal government if the decision or failure caused the state or its residents harm, including financial harm of more than $100. Specifically, the state government may sue the federal government over a decision to release a non-U.S. national from custody; failure to fulfill requirements relating to inspecting individuals seeking admission into the United States, including requirements related to asylum interviews; failure to fulfill a requirement to stop issuing visas to nationals of a country that unreasonably denies or delays acceptance of nationals of that country; violation of limitations on immigration parole, such as the requirement that parole be granted only on a case-by-case basis; or failure to detain an individual who has been ordered removed from the United States.

## How this bill is scored

Tier: no Tier 1 record. A bill with no record cannot newly become Tier 1.
Lane: detention. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: immigration. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: property_crime. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: public_safety. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: state_standing. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Lane: unclear. Category: not stored. Lane tag: not stored.
Tier 1 sign-off: no record. A bill with no record cannot newly become Tier 1.
Stored polarity: mixed. Only tags the rules mark scoreable on a mixed bill are scored. A yea can draw a penalty or a credit according to the tag. A nay on a tag scored as good can draw a penalty.
Roll 6: On Passage. Vote type: final_passage.
Polarity rationale: Reviewed enrichment (llm_import) polarity: The bill combines a legitimate prudential goal of deterring and responding to property crime by unlawfully present noncitizens with concerns about mandatory detention without individualized review, the breadth of the trigger (arrests and admissions, not only convictions), and expanded state standing against federal immigration decisions. It does not directly advance moral evil, but its due-process and structural implications warrant real concern, so a mixed classification is prudent.
Theological note: Scripture grounds civil protection of property and public order (Romans 13:1-4; Exodus 22:1-4) while also requiring just and merciful treatment of the sojourner (Leviticus 19:33-34) and equal justice under law (Deuteronomy 1:16-17). The bill's relevance lies in weighing lawful protection against theft with fair process and proportionate treatment of noncitizens, not in a direct moral verdict on the measure as a whole.

## Recorded votes

Roll 6: On Passage. Yea 264 · Nay 159 · Other 11.

HTML: https://justmeasure.org/bill/hr-29-119/