The first vote of the new Congress was on a bill to crack down on unauthorized immigrants. And more than a fifth of Democrats joined Republicans to support it.
The Laken Riley Act passed the House on Tuesday in a 264-159 vote, with 48 Democratic supporters. As the first vote of the session, it sent a message about what Republicans want to do with unified control of Congress — and whether Democrats will unify against Donald Trump’s agenda or go along with it.
The bill, named after a Georgia college student who was killed by an undocumented immigrant last year, passed in the House last session but garnered 11 more Democratic votes this time around. Seven Democrats who previously opposed or didn’t vote for the bill voted for it this time, including Reps. Ritchie Torres and Jared Moskowitz.