January 10

Written By DSEANTE PARKS

This week in MORE POWER:

Certified President
Cracking Down on Crime
International Court Sanctions
For the Girls
Deporting Offenders

Certified President

On Jan. 6, both chambers of Congress met to certify the results from Election Day, which is the final step before President-elect Donald Trump can take office on Jan. 20. The certification process was straightforward: both the House and Senate confirmed that Trump secured 312 Electoral College votes, while Vice President Kamala Harris received 226. Unlike the events of January 6, 2021, there were no objections or security threats at the Capitol.

The Constitution mandates that Congress certify the Electoral College results, a process that is typically ceremonial. This means that the results from Election Day are not usually challenged during certification. Rather, it is a formal and orderly process for confirming the outcome of presidential elections.

Cracking Down on Crime

The House passed the Laken Riley Act, which would require the U.S. government to detain immigrants who are charged with theft-related crimes, like burglary or shoplifting, until their immigration cases are resolved. Immigrants affected by this bill include undocumented immigrants, as well as those who may have violated the terms of their visas or other legal statuses. 

This bipartisan bill would also allow state attorneys general to take legal action if they believe releasing these individuals harms their state, such as causing financial losses for either the state itself or its residents. It was named after Laken Riley, who was murdered by an undocumented immigrant from Venezuela last year, and now heads to the Senate.

International Court Sanctions

The House passed a bill to ensure the U.S. imposes sanctions on any foreign individual that helps the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigate or prosecute any U.S. citizen or ally. The Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act would also cut off all U.S. funding for the ICC.

This bill was introduced in the 118th Congress — and reintroduced in the 119th — because the ICC applied for and then issued an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes in inflicting a genocide on Palestine. 

For the Girls

The House is scheduled to vote on the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act next week. This bill aims to prohibit school sports programs from allowing people who were assigned male at birth to participate in sports designated for women and girls. It says that male participation in female sports is a violation of Title IX, which prevents sex discrimination in federally funded education programs. The bill also calls for a report on how letting people who were assigned male at birth play on girls' teams could negatively affect female athletes. Supporters say that the bill will allow female athletes to succeed, while opponents say the bill is blatant government overreach and discriminatory to transgender women and girls. If you have an opinion on this bill, you can contact your representatives ahead of the vote.

Deporting Offenders

Next week, the House is scheduled to vote on the Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act. Supporters say this bill will protect women from migrant crime by making additional criminal activities grounds for deportation. Specifically, it would make any admission or conviction of sex offense, as well as conspiracy to commit such offenses, grounds for removal from the U.S. Opponents of the bill say that it is unnecessary, as sexual offenses are already grounds for deportation, and will threaten the immigration status of domestic abuse survivors, as this bill’s definition of domestic violence is too broad. The bill would also make more criminal activities disqualifying for immigrants looking to enter the U.S.

What Congress Passed

Nothing.

That’s it!

You made it through the first week of the new Congress!

DSEANTE PARKS
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