Laken Riley Act will be first bill Trump signs
FILE-President Donald Trump signs an executive order for pardons on January 6 offenders in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on January 20, 2025. (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)
President Donald Trump is set to sign the Laken Riley Act, the first bill of his new administration.
The bill is named after Laken Riley, a Georgia nursing student who was killed in 2024, whose name became a rallying cry during Trump’s White House campaign.
If signed into law, the bill would require the detention of unauthorized immigrants accused of theft and violent crimes, according to the Associated Press.
What to know about the Laken Riley Act
Under the Laken Riley Act, federal officials would be required to detain any migrant arrested or charged with crimes like shoplifting or attacking a police officer or crimes that injure or kill someone.
According to the AP, the legislation also enables state attorneys general to sue the federal government for harm caused by failures or decisions in immigration enforcement that harm states or people. This includes releasing migrants from custody or failing to detain migrants who have received deportation orders.
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This provision allows states some power in setting immigration policy when they have been attempting to challenge presidential decisions under both the Trump and Biden administrations.
Who was Laken Riley?
Laken Riley was a student at Augusta University College of Nursing when she went out for a run on Feb. 22, 2024. Citing prosecutors, the AP noted that the 22-year-old was encountered by Jose Antonio Ibarra, who killed her during a struggle.
Ibarra waived his right to a jury trial and was found guilty in November of murder and other crimes by a judge. He was sentenced to life without parole.
RELATED: Biden pronounces Laken Riley as 'Lincoln Riley' during speech; GOP response addresses murder
Donald Trump and other Republicans blamed former President Joe Biden for Riley’s death because Ibarra had been arrested for illegal entry in September 2022 near El Paso, Texas, and released to pursue his case in immigration court.
What they're saying:
"If this act had been the law of the land, he never would have had the opportunity to kill her," said Rep. Mike Collins, a Georgia Republican.
"Anyone who commits a crime should be held accountable. That’s why I voted to pass the Laken Riley Act," Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., said on social media after its passage.
RELATED: UGA campus death: Bond denied for suspect accused of killing nursing student Laken Riley
Sen. Ruben Gallego, whose parents are immigrants from Mexico and Colombia, was elected in November and became Arizona's first Latino senator. Gallego said he supported the bill.
"We must give law enforcement the means to take action when illegal immigrants break the law, to prevent situations like what occurred to Laken Riley," he said in a statement.
Biden mentioned Riley during his State of the Union address last year as he spoke about border security and after U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene shouted at him, "Say her name!"
Why did most Democrats oppose the Laken Riley Act?
Some Democrats worried that the legislation would strip due process rights for migrants, including minors or recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
Most Democrats criticized the lack of funding in the bill, contending that the new law would not solve immigration problems but would impose new requirements on federal authorities.
The Associated Press obtained a memo noting that Democrats on the Appropriations Committee estimate the bill would cost $83 billion over the next three years.
Why did some Democrats support the bill?
Democrats who supported it were mostly from five battleground states and said their constituents demanded more border security and supported deportations of migrants accused of crimes.
The Associated Press noted that New Hampshire Democratic Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan and Virginia Sen. Mark Warner also supported the bill.