Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, told Newsmax on Tuesday that the Laken Riley Act sends a "message to the world" and should be something upon which both sides of the political aisle can agree.
"It totally should be bipartisan," Williams said on "National Report." "I can't imagine anybody voting against it. It empowers law enforcement to do more, and it broadens what people can be arrested for and deported. So, it fits right with what we're trying to do is to get America safe again, send the message to the world: If you want to come to America, you do it lawfully not unlawfully.
"We want to protect our citizens, and I think it's good timing for that. I think it will certainly pass and I can't imagine anybody voting against it today."
The Laken Riley Act is named for the slain Georgia nursing student who was allegedly murdered by an illegal alien from Venezuela.
It would require federal authorities to apprehend and detain illegal immigrants who commit crimes such as burglary, shoplifting, or larceny until they are removed from the United States.
The bill passed the House in March but has yet to clear the Senate.
Williams also weighed in on Meta's announcement that it is ending its third-party fact-checking program on Facebook in favor of community notes that are written by users, similar to the model used by Elon Musk's social media platform X.
"It's amazing, isn't it, that now they're waking up to what America thinks, freedom of speech," Williams said. "They want to be able to say what they can say and not be attacked for it like we saw them do in the previous administration. So, to have them out there today talking about how they're going to open it up and the fact checkers will be the people, I think it's great. Let's go. This is what America is about."
Last month, Meta donated $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump's inaugural fund in the latest sign that CEO Mark Zuckerberg is seeking to repair relations with the incoming Republican administration.
The contribution follows a November visit to Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, by Zuckerberg and his advisers for discussions that reportedly focused on relationship-building.
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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