The US House of Representatives has passed the Laken Riley Act, an immigration enforcement bill named after a US student who was murdered by an illegal alien at the University of Georgia last February.
Riley was murdered by Jose Ibarra, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela, after he was reportedly released into the US under President Joe Biden’s ‘catch and release’ policy for illegal immigrants.
The Laken Riley Act, sponsored by Representative Mike Collins (R-GA), would make Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detain any illegal immigrants who commit theft-related crimes.
Ibarra had been previously cited for shoplifting by the Athens Police Department before murdering Riley.
All Republicans voted in favor of the bill with nearly 40 Democrats joining.
The act would also permit state governments to sue the Secretary of Homeland Security if immigration actions such as parole, violation of detention requirements, or other policy failures harm their state or its citizens.
“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,” said Collins. “I am proud that the House was able to come together and pass this bill.”
The bill, being the first piece of legislation passed by the House, is symbolic of how Republicans plan to execute President-elect Donald Trump’s promises of tightening laws around immigration.
If the Senate passes the act, President Trump could sign it into law as soon as he is inaugurated.
Besides enjoying overwhelming Republican support, some Democrats, such as Senator John Fetterman (D-PA), have also publicly supported the bill.
“If you're here illegally and you're committing crimes, I don't know why anybody thinks that it's controversial, that they all need to go," said Senator Fetterman.
However, the 170 Democrat House votes against passing the bill suggest it could face opposition from some Democrats in the Senate.
Representative Collins urged the Senate to “do its job” and pass the bill, which he further claimed addresses “the federal policy failures related to Laken Riley’s murder.”
