In a surprising reversal, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-Ny.) agreed to push forward with an immigration enforcement bill named after Laken Riley.

The Laken Riley Act advanced with a lopsided 84-9 vote, teeing up an early legislative victory for President-elect Trump. The bill still needs to pass a floor vote, but only nine Democrats voted "no" on Schumer's procedural move.

Schumer previously blocked the bill, but he's apparently softening his position after the Democratic party's thrashing in November's elections.

Laken Riley bill advances

An illegal alien from Venezuela brutally murdered Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student from Georgia, during an attempted rape last year.

The Laken Riley Act would require Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain illegal aliens who commit theft and other serious crimes. The bill also allows states to sue the federal government for any damages caused by failures to enforce immigration law.

The bill's supporters say the reforms would have saved Riley's life.

Her killer, Jose Ibarra, was able to roam free despite prior arrests for crimes like shoplifting. Ibarra was sentenced to life without parole for murdering Riley.

Riley's murder galvanized opposition to soaring illegal immigration under President Biden and placed border security near the top of voters' concerns in the 2024 election, as Trump pledged to carry out the largest deportation operation in U.S. history.

Dems flip on immigration

While still in the majority last year, Schumer had blocked the Laken Riley Act, but the Democratic leader is striking a tone of conciliation with Republicans back in power.

“Democrats want to have a robust debate, where we can offer amendments and improve the bill,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “To remind my colleagues: this is not a vote on the bill itself. This is a motion to proceed, a vote that says we should have a debate and should have amendments.”

The Laken Riley Act passed the House on Tuesday with support from dozens of Democrats.

During Trump's first term, Democrats rallied against his hardline immigration agenda and championed calls to "abolish ICE." But Trump's historic re-election has been met, so far, with only whimpers of protest as Democrats question whether they need to rein in their radicalism.

The preliminary success of the Laken Riley bill is a good sign for Trump ahead of his inauguration on the 20th. Perhaps Democrats have finally realized they need to come to the middle.