GOP-Controlled Senate Confirms Rubio, Passes Laken Riley Act Hours After Trump's Inauguration

The U.S. Senate got right to work after the inauguration of President Trump, moving late last night to confirm Marco Rubio as the next Secretary of State and also taking swift action on immigration.

Rubio became America's first Latino Secretary of State after winning bipartisan support from the Senate by a vote of 99-0 on Monday evening.

"Marco Rubio is a very intelligent man with a remarkable understanding of American foreign policy," Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the senior-most Republican, said as the chamber opened.

Rubio is the first member of Trump's cabinet and his confirmation clears the way for the White House to move forward with the president's agenda to put U.S. national interest first in foreign policy. 

Meanwhile, the Senate also took swift action to pass the Laken Riley Act, a bill that would require federal authorities to detain migrants accused of theft and violent crimes.  

The legislation is likely to be one of the first bills that Trump will sign into law.

As CBN News reported, Trump immediately tackled America's border crisis using his executive powers, just hours after being sworn into office. 

He signed executive orders that shut down the southern border and designated cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. Trump aims to crack down on illegal immigration by restricting asylum access and sending troops to protect the southern border.

He has now authorized an executive order to end birthright citizenship, saying, "...the Fourteenth Amendment has never been interpreted to extend citizenship universally to everyone born within the United States."  

And while some of his orders are expected to face legal challenges – like the ACLU which filed a lawsuit late Monday arguing the birthright citizenship order violates the 14th Amendment – Capitol Hill is taking steps to walk back many of the Biden administration immigration policies that led to a large spike in illegal entries into the U.S. 

The Laken Riley Act honors the life of the 22-year-old nursing student at Augusta University who was murdered while jogging around the University of Georgia campus.

Jose Antonio Ibarra, 26, was convicted of murder and other crimes in Riley's February death. He was sentenced to life in prison. 

Ibarra's status as an illegal immigrant ignited a political debate about America's southern border crisis after authorities confirmed the Venezuelan national entered the U.S. illegally in 2022 near El Paso, Texas. 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has also confirmed Ibarra was previously apprehended by ICE and New York Police Department officials for different crimes but was reportedly released, partly due to the Biden administration's "catch and release" policy.  

In 2023, he was "charged with acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17 and a motor vehicle license violation." 

The Laken Riley Act would require immigration authorities to detain illegal immigrants who are found guilty of certain non-violent crimes such as theft.   

It also would give states the option to sue the Department of Homeland Security for harm caused to their citizens because of illegal immigration.

The bill now heads back to the House, which passed its version earlier this month and will need to approve changes made in the Senate.

***Please sign up for CBN Newsletters and download the CBN News app to ensure you receive the latest news updates from a Christian perspective.***