Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., told CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday that the Laken Riley Act "will save lives."

"It is a commonsense piece of legislation. ... [T]here's been no more litigated issue over the last four years than President [Joe] Biden and Vice President [Kamala] Harris' open-border policies," Britt said.

"It is my belief that the American people entered a verdict on that on Nov. 5, saying we are ready for secure borders. We want our streets and our communities to be safe and secure. This is the first step in doing this."

Democrats voted with Republicans on Thursday to advance legislation that would require federal authorities to detain unauthorized immigrants who have been accused of certain crimes.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and most other Democrats voted to proceed with the legislation, advancing the bill 84-9. Trump and Republicans have pushed the bill and made it a priority since Georgia nursing student Laken Riley was killed last year by a Venezuelan man who entered the U.S. illegally and was allowed to stay to pursue his immigration case.

Still, Schumer hasn't promised to vote for the final bill — and he made clear that Democrats want Republicans to work with them on bipartisan amendments. Thursday's procedural vote will allow that process to begin.

The House passed the legislation earlier in the week, making the legislation one of the first actions in the newly Republican-controlled Congress. It would require U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to arrest unauthorized migrants who commit theft, burglary, larceny, or shoplifting offenses and mandate that they are detained until they are removed from the U.S.

The bill also would allow states to sue the federal government if they can demonstrate harm caused by immigrants who enter the country illegally.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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