SILVER SPRING, Maryland - Today, President Donald Trump is expected to sign into law the Laken Riley Act which passed in Congress last week.

The new law expands mandatory detention to include noncitizens merely accused — not yet convicted — of low-level crimes such as theft or shoplifting, as well as any crime that results in death or serious bodily injury. The bill also gives state attorneys general the right to sue the U.S. government if an immigrant with uncertain or contested legal status, who is paroled into the country, commits a crime that harms either the state or one of its residents physically or financially.

"Although intended to increase public safety for the American people, the new law could in reality have vast negative consequences and will undermine the rights of all," said Anna Gallagher, CLINIC's executive director. "As people of faith we are deeply concerned about this law's implications for vulnerable people caught up in our justice system and for the way it could erode due process rights and waste precious resources needed to promote the common good."

"Mandating indefinite detention for those merely accused of low-level crimes is unconstitutional, impractical, and often inhumane," said Karen Sullivan, CLINIC's director of advocacy. "We are particularly worried about racial profiling and the targeting of vulnerable populations, as certain groups are more often unfairly accused of crimes. Requiring mandatory detention for those accused of low-level crimes when the federal government has other options is cruel and will contribute to the unjust separation of families."

"In addition, allowing states to sue the federal government in this way will only increase political divisions around immigration," Sullivan continued. "In all, we anticipate that this law will waste resources and distract attention away from providing real, lasting immigration policy solutions that will truly enhance the common good and promote public safety."

CLINIC urges the government to pursue meaningful immigration reform that is consistent with the elements long promoted by Catholic leaders in the United States. This includes safeguarding American communities and upholding the rule of law through targeted, proportional, and humane enforcement measures, while consistently ensuring due process, demonstrating respect for human dignity, and providing safe and lawful pathways for migration.