House Passes Laken Riley Act in First Bill of New Congress, Aiming to Strengthen Immigration Enforcement

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The House has passed the Laken Riley Act as the first piece of legislation in the new 119th Congress. This measure is named after Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student who was murdered by an illegal immigrant. The perpetrator had a history of criminal offenses, including shoplifting, but was not detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) prior to the murder.

The Laken Riley Act aims to address this by requiring ICE to detain illegal immigrants who commit theft, burglary, larceny, or shoplifting offenses. This legislation would ensure that such individuals are held until they are removed from the country. Additionally, the act would grant states the authority to take civil actions against federal officials who fail to enforce immigration laws or who violate these laws.

The bill was reintroduced in the House by Georgia Rep. Mike Collins, a Republican, and it passed with significant support, including 48 Democrats and all Republicans. The measure also allows immigration officials to begin deportation procedures for unauthorized immigrants accused of certain crimes, including theft-related offenses.

The Laken Riley Act has garnered bipartisan support, with the entire Senate Republican Conference cosponsoring the bill, along with some Democratic senators. This includes notable figures such as Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) and Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), who is sponsoring the bill ahead of a tough re-election battle.