EXCLUSIVE: John Thune Reveals Why He’s Having Senate Take Up One Bill In Particular As Its First Order Of Business

Senate Majority Leader John Thune revealed to the 🏢Daily Caller News Foundation Monday that the Senate has chosen to crack down on illegal migrant criminals as its first order of business due to an “urgent need” for action amid the Biden-Harris border crisis.

“Laken Riley’s horrific murder at the hands of an illegal alien should have never happened,” Thune told the DCNF. “There is an urgent need to take action regarding the border crisis to protect the American people, which is why I chose this as the first bill the Senate will vote on this Congress.”

The Senate will likely vote on the legislation as early as this Friday, the DCNF has learned.

The House of Representatives is also slated to vote this week on companion legislation sponsored by Georgia Republican Rep. Mike Collins that would also target illegal migrants who commit theft-related crimes.

“An illegal criminal came into my district and killed Laken Riley because our law enforcement did not have the tools to stop him,” Collins told the DCNF. “Laken fought until her last breath, and so will I until this bill crosses the finish line and lands on the President’s desk.”

The bills seek to honor the memory of Laken Riley, a University of Georgia nursing student who was murdered by an illegal migrant while out on a run near her college campus in February 2024. Riley’s killer, Venezuelan national Jose Antonio Ibarra, had a criminal record in the United States prior to killing Riley and was