The Republican Senate, which will hold a procedural vote on the measure Friday, will need at least eight Democrats to side with them to overcome a 60-vote filibuster. The votes aren’t yet there, but several Democrats say they’ll support the bill or expressed openness to it.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) was the first and only Senate Democrat to co-sponsor the legislation Tuesday when Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) reintroduced it in the upper chamber.

“Laken Riley’s story is a tragic reminder of what’s at stake when our systems fail to protect people. No family should have to endure the pain of losing a loved one to preventable violence,” Fetterman said. “I support giving authorities the tools to prevent tragedies like this one while we work on comprehensive solutions to our broken system.”

The bill, named after the 22-year-old Augusta University nursing student who was murdered last year while jogging at the University of Georgia by a Venezuelan national in the United States illegally, would require federal authorities to detain illegal migrants guilty of theft-related crimes. It would also empower states the ability to sue the Department of Homeland Security for harm to citizens caused by illegal immigration.

Sens. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) both voted for it last year when they were in the House. Gallego said he’ll do so again this week, so long as there are no major changes. Slotkin was less committal, saying she was weighing the matter and that a wintry storm that blanketed the nation’s capital in snow delayed her ability to review it with staff.

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ), another border-state Democrat, was also undecided but said certain aspects were appealing.

“Deporting criminals, especially violent criminals, certainly does make some sense,” Kelly told the Washington Examiner. “But I have to review and take a look at it.”

For some Democrats, the legislation could have 2026 midterm implications.

Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), who is up reelection in battleground Michigan that was carried by President-election Donald Trump, told the Washington Examiner he’ll vote for it to “keep the border secure and keep Americans safe.”

The House passed it Tuesday in a vote of 264-159, including all Republicans and 48 Democrats. The Senate’s Friday vote will take place on what would be Riley’s 23rd birthday.

Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY) cited the endorsement from Fetterman and the prior backing from Gallego and Slotkin. Democrats still on the fence, he said, “are going to have to make a decision.”

“It’s now a bipartisan bill,” Barrasso said.

One factor that will work against Senate Republicans is the absence of Sen.-elect Jim Justice (R-WV), who will not be sworn in until the conclusion of his term on Monday. That leaves the GOP with a temporary 52-47 majority and the need for at least eight Democrats rather than seven to clear a filibuster.

Senate Democrats debated the measure Tuesday behind closed doors during a weekly policy luncheon. Several senators emerged from the meeting noncommittal on final passage but open to supporting Friday’s procedural vote in order to propose amendments.

Sens. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), both up for reelection, signaled openness. So, too, did Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).

Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) declined to stake out a position.

If 60 votes are achieved Friday, a separate and final vote would only require a simple majority, giving Republicans the power to approve the bill without making any changes.

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Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), the chief Democratic architect of a bipartisan border security bill last year that did not pass Congress, described the Laken Riley Act as deeply flawed legislation that could spur unproductive lawsuits waged by Republican state attorneys general against the Department of Justice.

“I don’t like the bill, but I’m open to trying to make it better,” Murphy said.