NASHVILLE, TENN. – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) joined Senators Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and their Republican Judiciary Committee colleagues in writing a letter requesting that Chairman Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) schedule a mark-up of the bipartisan Laken Riley Act.

“This bipartisan bill is a common-sense measure that would help to avoid future tragedies resulting from the failure to enforce and follow immigration law, and we look forward to the Judiciary Committee’s consideration of it,” wrote the Senators. “The Laken Riley Act is but one of numerous pieces of legislation that Senate Republicans have introduced to better protect the American people from the consequences of the ongoing crisis at the southern border and to stop—not merely manage—the flow of illegal aliens to the southern border and into the United States. So far during this Congress, the Judiciary Committee has failed to take meaningful action on any of those bills. We hope that will change in the near future, and we request that you start with the Laken Riley Act.”

• The letter to Senator Durbin was also signed by Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), John Kennedy (R-La.), and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).

• The Laken Riley Act passed the House of Representatives on March 7, 2024, in a bipartisan vote of 251-70 – including 37 Democrats voting for the legislation.

• The legislation has a bipartisan cosponsor list of 47 Senators.

• Senator Durbin objected and blocked passage of the legislation for the second time in recent months.