蒙大拿州民主党参议员乔恩·泰斯特（Jon Tester）周四继续努力成为第一位支持国会参众两院共和党人支持的移民法案的参议院民主党人，从而使自己成为边境安全强硬派。
周四下午，泰斯特宣布他打算共同发起《拉肯莱利法案》，该法案以一名22岁的护理专业学生的名字命名谁在佐治亚大学校园附近跑步时被杀二月份。当局表示，她的嫌犯是一名无证移民，此前曾因非暴力犯罪被捕，但被纽约警察局释放。
《莱利法案》将要求联邦官员逮捕和拘留犯有入室盗窃、入店行窃或盗窃等罪行的无证移民，直到这些人被驱逐出美国。
该法案于3月初在众议院获得通过，获得了每名共和党人和37名民主党人的支持。
但这一次它没有得到参议院民主党人的大力支持。
参议院此前曾审议过《拉肯莱利法案》，当时参议院共和党人在3月份强行对该法案进行了投票，将其作为政府一揽子大规模拨款计划的修正案。该修正案被认为是政府关门的前兆，对该法案的修改可能会迫使政府关门。
泰斯特当时与他的民主党同事一致投票，拒绝了他现在共同发起的法案，尽管他办公室的一名发言人当时告诉当地一家媒体，如果该法案作为一项独立措施提交议会审议，他会支持该法案。蒂姆·希伊将于周四与泰斯特竞选指责他出于政治目的在法案上“突然转变”.
周四，泰斯特成为第一个参议院民主党共同提案人，加入了共和党共同提案人的行列。这位蒙大拿州民主党人将在今年11月面临艰难的连任竞选，他希望进一步确立自己作为边境安全强硬派的地位。
泰斯特在一份声明中说:“保持蒙大拿州的安全是我的首要任务，这就是为什么我一再呼吁拜登政府和国会采取更多措施来确保南部边境的安全，并努力让执法部门的勇敢男女获得他们所需要的东西，以使犯罪分子远离我们的街道。”“在听取了蒙大拿州各地执法人员的意见后，我支持《拉肯·莱利法案》，以确保进入我们国家并实施犯罪的个人被追究责任，这样蒙大拿州的任何家庭都不必担心他们亲人的安全。”
泰斯特在他的深红色州面临连任，共和党参议员候选人希伊正在努力使大量未经授权的越境和芬太尼的传播成为他竞选的首要问题。
最近几个月，泰斯特对南部边境的挑战越来越直言不讳。
在一场很快被免除的弹劾审判中，众议院共和党人试图给国土安全部部长亚历杭德罗·马约卡斯定罪，期间特斯特受到密切关注。
尽管泰斯特最终投票支持他的政党阻止审判，但他称南部边境的局势“完全不可接受”，并表示拜登政府需要“采取更多措施”来保护该县的安全。
尽管今年早些时候曾努力推进由康涅狄格州参议员克里斯·墨菲起草的跨党派边境安全法案。I-Ariz的Kyrsten Sinema和R-Okla的James Lankford，这些努力最终在参议院共和党人拒绝了这笔交易后停止了，因为他们觉得这笔交易不够强大。
由多数党领袖查克·舒默和墨菲领导的参议院民主党人昨天表示，他们希望重新讨论边境安全条款，正如消息人士告诉美国广播公司新闻的那样，DHS将提议改变寻求庇护者的程序。
Democratic Sen. Jon Tester backs GOP-championed Laken Riley Act
Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester continued his efforts to distinguish himself as a border security hard-liner on Thursday by becoming the first Senate Democrat to back an immigration bill that has been championed by Republicans in both chambers of Congress.
On Thursday afternoon, Tester announced his intention to co-sponsor the Laken Riley Act, a bill named after a 22-year-old nursing student who was killed while out on a run near the University of Georgia campus in February. Authorities say her alleged perpetrator is an undocumented migrant who was previously arrested for a non-violent crime but released by the New York Police Department.
The Laken Riley Act would require federal officials to apprehend and detain undocumented immigrants who commit crimes such as burglary, shoplifting or larceny until these individuals are removed from the United States.
The bill cleared the House in early March with support of every Republican and 37 Democrats.
But it hasn't gotten as robust support from Democrats in the upper chamber this time around.
The Senate previously considered the Laken Riley Act when Senate Republicans forced a vote on it as an amendment to a sweeping government funding package in March. The amendment was considered as a government shutdown loomed, and changes to the bill would have likely forced a government shutdown.
Tester voted in lockstep with his Democratic colleagues at the time and rejected the bill he's now co-sponsoring, though a spokesperson for his office told a local outlet at the time that he would have supported the legislation if it came to the floor as a stand-alone measure.Tim Sheehy, who is running against Tester, on Thursday accused him of doing a "flip-flop" on the act for political purposes.
Tester became the first Senate Democratic co-sponsor of the legislation on Thursday, joining a slate of GOP co-sponsors. The move comes as the Montana Democrat, who faces a tough reelection this November, looks to further establish himself as a border security hard-liner.
"Keeping Montana safe is my top priority, which is why I've repeatedly called on the Biden Administration and Congress to do more to secure the southern border and have worked to get the brave men and women in law enforcement what they need to keep criminals off our streets," Tester said in a statement. "After hearing from law enforcement officers across Montana, I'm backing the Laken Riley Act to make sure that individuals who enter our country and commit a crime are held accountable so that no Montana family has to worry about the safety of their loved ones."
Tester faces reelection in his deep-red state, where likely Republican Senate nominee Sheehy is working to make high numbers of unauthorized border crossings and the spread of fentanyl top issues for his campaign.
In recent months, Tester has become more and more outspoken about the challenges at the southern border.
Tester was closely watched during an effort by House Republicans to convict Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas during a quickly-dispensed-with impeachment trial.
Though Tester did ultimately vote with his party to prevent a trial, he called the situation at the southern border "completely unacceptable" and said that the Biden administration needed to "do more" to keep the county safe.
Though there was an effort earlier this year to advance the bipartisan border security bill drafted by Sens. Chris Murphy, D-Ct., Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., and James Lankford, R-Okla., those efforts ultimately stalled out after Senate Republicans rejected the deal because they felt it was not strong enough.
Senate Democrats, led by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Murphy, said yesterday they hope to reopen discussion about the border security provisions, just as sources tell ABC News that DHS is slated to propose a change to the process for those seeking asylum.
