Senate Moves Forward Bill to Expand Deportations of Migrants Accused of Crimes

The Senate on Thursday came closer to passing a bill requiring the deportation of undocumented immigrants charged with minor crimes after most Democrats joined Republicans to advance it.

All but eight Democrats and one independent voted to begin debate on the bill, easily exceeding the 60-vote threshold to avoid a filibuster. The legislation, which passed the House with bipartisan support earlier this week, appears to be on a smooth path to garnering the presidential signature of Donald J. Trump when he takes office this month.

The vote reflected a major shift to the right among Democrats on immigration after their party’s considerable electoral losses in November against Republicans, who campaigned on a promise to crack down on illegal border crossings and carry out mass deportations of undocumented immigrants.

The measure is named for Laken Riley, a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student who was killed last year by a migrant who crossed into the United States illegally from Venezuela and who had previously been arrested for shoplifting, but had not been detained.

Republicans queued it up as the first of several border bills they hope to revive and enact when they secure their governing trifecta with Mr. Trump’s inauguration. A similar measure died in the Democrat-led Senate last year, alongside other bills to increase deportations, hold asylum seekers outside of the United States and strip federal funding from cities that restrict their cooperation with federal immigration enforcement agencies.

But on Thursday, some Democrats expressed enthusiasm for the bill.

“Not only am I voting yes on the Laken Riley Act, I’m cosponsoring the bill,” Senator Ruben Gallego, Democrat of Arizona, said on social media, adding: “We must give law enforcement the means to take action to prevent tragedies like what occurred to Laken Riley.”