House passes Laken Riley Act to strengthen immigration enforcement

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The House of Representatives has passed the Laken Riley Act, which mandates Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain illegal immigrants who commit theft-related crimes, named after Laken Riley, a nursing student murdered by an illegal immigrant.
The bill gives state attorneys general the authority to sue the federal government if they believe it is not adequately enforcing immigration laws and mandates the Homeland Security secretary to take custody of the alien if state or local officials do not comply.
The legislation aims to address the inability of ICE to detain individuals like Riley’s assailant, who was arrested for shoplifting but released due to the minor nature of the charge.
The bill passed with a vote of 264-159, with 216 Republicans and 48 Democrats supporting the measure, including some New York representatives.
Laken Riley’s family fully supports the Laken Riley Act, stating that it would help save innocent lives and prevent more families from going through the same heartbreak.

The House of Representatives has approved the Laken Riley Act, a bill designed to require Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain illegal immigrants who commit theft-related crimes.

The bill introduced by Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) is named after Laken Riley, a 20-year-old University of Georgia nursing student tragically murdered in 2024 by an illegal immigrant with a criminal record. Under the act, illegal immigrants arrested, charged, or convicted of crimes such as burglary, theft, larceny or shoplifting must be held by immigration authorities. (Related: Trump’s incoming “border czar” claims the Biden administration “has blood on their hands” for the murder of Laken Riley.)

This bill also gives state attorneys general the authority to sue the federal government if they believe it is not adequately enforcing immigration laws. Additionally, it mandates that the Homeland Security secretary take custody of the alien if state or local officials do not comply, effectively overriding sanctuary policies in Democratic jurisdictions.

In other words, the legislation aims to address the policy failures that allowed Riley’s assailant, Venezuelan national Jose Antonio Ibarra, to remain in the United States. This legislation would address the current inability of ICE to detain individuals like Ibarra, who was arrested for shoplifting in 2022 but released due to the minor nature of the charge.

“Right now, ICE is unable to detain and deport these illegal criminals who commit these minor-level crimes, but the Laken Riley Act will fix this and give ICE and our local law enforcement the tools to get these criminals out of our country and make our communities safer,” Collins said during floor debates on Jan. 7.

The legislation passed with a vote of 264-159, with 216 Republicans and 48 Democrats supporting the measure. Among the Democrats who voted for the bill were New York representatives Laura Gillen, Joe Morelle, Ritchie Torres, John Mannion, Tom Suozzi and Josh Riley.

“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,” Collins said. “I am proud that the House was able to come together and pass this bill. If the Senate will do its job, President Trump will make it law.”

If signed into law, the bill would mandate that ICE detain and potentially deport illegal immigrants involved in theft-related crimes, making it a critical tool in enhancing community safety.

Riley’s family fully supports the Laken Riley Act

Ahead of the vote, Collins released a statement from Riley’s mother Allyson Phillips and stepfather John Phillips, who voiced their support for the bill.

“The Laken Riley Act has our full support because it would help save innocent lives and prevent more families from going through the kind of heartbreak we’ve experienced,” their statement read, which Collins shared on his official account on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Laken would have been 23 on Jan. 10th. There is no greater gift that could be given to her and our country than to continue her legacy by saving lives through this bill.”

Their statement also described Laken as a “beautiful, shining beacon in the lives of everyone who knew her” and noted that she “shared her love for Jesus with everyone she encountered.”

Head over to Migrants.news for more stories about violent crimes committed by illegal immigrants.

Watch Tom Homan telling Veronika Kyrylenko of the New American magazine that the U.S. border is broken by design.

This video is from The New American channel on Brighteon.com.