The Laken Riley Act exposes Democrats’ hypocrisy over immigration | Heba Gowayed

Though party leadership called it inhumane, 48 members of Congress voted for the bill to deport immigrants accused, not convicted, of petty theft

The first act of the 119th Congress of the United States was to pass a bill that would require federal immigration enforcement to detain and potentially deport any unauthorized immigrant accused of minor crimes including petty theft or shoplifting.

The bill, which is to be passed on 20 January, is a meaningful departure from current policy, which requires not one but two or more convictions - not accusations - of crimes of moral turpitude to trigger deportation proceedings. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) estimates that it would cost $29.6bn to implement, requiring an additional 110,000 detention beds and 10,000 detention and removal personnel.

Heba Gowayed is an associate professor of sociology at CUNY Hunter College and Graduate Center and author of the book Refuge: How the State Shapes Human Potential