On Immigration, Democrats Have Something to Prove

When Senate Democrats blocked the Laken Riley Act last year, a bill named for the 22-year-old nursing student who was murdered by an illegal alien, they had their reasons.

The legislation was duplicative of other established laws already on the books, some said. Others maintained that the bill, which would compel U.S. immigration authorities to detain illegal residents who commit non-violent criminal offenses and allows state attorneys general to sue Homeland Security for taking actions deemed harmful to their states, violated the separation of powers.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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When Senate Democrats blocked the Laken Riley Act last year, a bill named for the 22-year-old nursing student who was murdered by an illegal alien, they had their reasons.

The legislation was duplicative of other established laws already on the books, some said. Others maintained that the bill, which would compel U.S. immigration authorities to detain illegal residents who commit non-violent criminal offenses and allows state attorneys general to sue Homeland Security for taking actions deemed harmful to their states, violated the separation of powers.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.