A significant number of Senate Democrats voted with Republicans on Thursday to advance a GOP-led bill to require the detention of undocumented migrants charged with certain crimes – a key step that puts the legislation on the verge of passage.

The bill, which would require federal authorities to detain undocumented immigrants arrested for theft-related crimes, was the first to be voted on by the newly installed Republican-controlled Senate.

Immigration officers would be required to detain people who are in the country illegally and commit even nonviolent crimes.

Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) on Wednesday became the second Senate Democrat to co-sponsor a Republican-led bill to crack down on illegal immigration ahead of a procedural vote on the measure on Friday.

Thursday's vote to advance the Laken Riley Act does not guarantee the immigration bill will have enough votes to pass the Senate.

The Senate overwhelmingly voted to move forward Thursday on a bill that would impose stricter measures on undocumented migrants who commit crimes in the United States, although many Democrats said they would seek to change some provisions.

By a whopping 84-9 margin, the Republican-controlled Senate on Thursday voted to advance the Laken Riley Act, an immigration enforcement bill named after a college student killed last year by a man who had crossed the southern border illegally.