1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

The Laken Riley Act raises serious civil rights and due process concerns by requiring mandatory detention of immigrants for any alleged theft offense, no matter how minor. It would needlessly lead to the jailing of asylum seekers, long-term Green Card holders, and others for petty allegations like shoplifting. The potential scale of such an expansive detention mandate is staggering and risks violating constitutional protections. The law could tear families apart, separate U.S. citizen children from parents, and impose massive costs on taxpayers to needlessly detain thousands. It undermines discretion and forces an overly harsh, one-size-fits-all approach at odds with our values of proportionality and human dignity. Lawmakers should oppose this extreme proposal lacking due process and reasonable discretion.