“The Laken Riley Act gives our law enforcement the tools they need to protect their communities and ensure that no more innocent lives are lost to a broken immigration and criminal justice system.”
The Laken Riley Act passed with a vote of 264 to 159 on Tuesday after lawmakers gave floor speeches to voice their support of or opposition to the law. All the 159 "no" votes came from Democrats. This comes at the tail end of President Joe Biden's term, which has seen record numbers in illegal immigration and many stories highlighting crimes committed against Americans by illegal immigrants in the news.
Laken Riley was murdered by Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan illegal immigrant with suspected connections to Tren de Aragua. Ibarra was sentenced to life in prison in November after being convicted of the crime.
HR29, or the Laken Riley Act, amends the Immigration and Nationality 8 Act to "require the Secretary of Homeland Security to take into custody aliens who have been charged in the United States with theft" in addition to other purposes.
The bill was sponsored by Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) and was introduced on January 3 as one of the first bills in the 119th Congress and was cosponsored by 42 other lawmakers.
Collins said of the bill before the vote, “The Laken Riley Act gives our law enforcement the tools they need to protect their communities and ensure that no more innocent lives are lost to a broken immigration and criminal justice system. I am proud that the House was able to come together and pass this bill. If the Senate does its job, President Trump will make it law.”
The lawmaker’s office added in a press release that the bill gives "ICE and state governments more resources to fight against illegal alien criminals."
Jose Ibarra had been cited for shoplifting leading up to the murder of Laken Riley, and Collins' statement added, "If local law enforcement had called ICE, and ICE issued a detainer and picked him up, Laken would be alive."
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