House Set to Pass Laken Riley Act in First Legislative Move of the 119th Congress
The legislation known as the Laken Riley Act has emerged as a notable priority for congressional Republicans under the governance of President-elect Donald Trump. The bill’s aim is to mandate the detention of illegal immigrants who commit crimes and to allow states to sue the department of Homeland Security for injuries inflicted by such individuals.The act garnered attention after the tragic murder of 22-year-old nursing student laken Riley by Venezuelan illegal immigrant Jose Ibarra on the University of Georgia campus in February 2024. Ibarra had previously been arrested but was not detained by immigration authorities.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise has emphasized Republican efforts to secure the border and protect American communities. The Laken Riley Act passed the House in March 2024 and is expected to advance in the newly Republican-majority Senate, particularly with support from some Democrats, including Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania. despite the anticipated changes in immigration policy under a Trump administration, proponents argue that the legislation is necesary to hold Democrats accountable for their stance on immigration and public safety. The outcome of this legislative push may reveal the political dynamics going forward, especially in light of the Democrats’ losses in the 2024 elections.
Under President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration, this legislation should prove redundant.
Nonetheless, congressional Republicans must force their Democratic colleagues to vote on it.
According to Fox News, on Tuesday the House of Representatives will make the Laken Riley Act its first legislative priority.
On Feb. 22, 2024, Venezuelan illegal immigrant Jose Ibarra murdered 22-year-old Georgia nursing student Laken Riley on the campus of the University of Georgia.
Authorities in New York City had previously arrested Ibarra. But Immigration and Customs Enforcement never detained the illegal immigrant.
Thus, the Laken Riley Act would require such detention by federal authorities. It would also allow states to sue the Department of Homeland Security over injuries to that state’s citizens caused by illegal immigrants, per Fox News.
“House Republicans won’t stop fighting to secure the border and protect American communities. When will Democrats finally decide enough is enough?” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise said.
Meanwhile, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson announced the impending vote Tuesday on the social media platform X.
Johnson also d 30-second clip of a 2024 interview in which President Joe Biden, who butchered the victim’s name in his State of the Union address by calling her “Lincoln Riley,” apologized — not for his open border policies that allowed Ibarra into the country but for referring to the now-convicted murderer as “illegal.”
“I shouldn’t have used ‘illegal.’ It’s ‘undocumented,’” Biden said.
The House will vote today on the Laken Riley Act to ensure criminals like Laken’s murderer are detained & deported before they can commit such evil acts.
REMINDER: President Biden never apologized to Laken’s family for allowing her killer into our country, but he DID apologize… pic.twitter.com/ZOFox00aWD
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) January 7, 2025
The Laken Riley Act passed the House in March 2024 by a 251-170 margin. All 170 “no” votes came from Democrats.
Then, then-Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York refused to take up the bill, per Fox News.
The new Senate, however, has a Republican majority.
Moreover, according to Punchbowl News, the Laken Riley Act also has a new sponsor from outside the GOP. Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania has joined 50 Senate Republicans in cosponsoring the bill.
In other words, the Laken Riley Act almost certainly will pass the 119th Congress.
Of course, under the new Trump administration, the act should prove unnecessary. After all, when Trump and incoming border czar Tom Homan begin mass deportations, criminals like Ibarra will have nowhere to hide.
Moreover, Trump will provide a level of border security that will prevent future Ibarras from strolling into the country. Thus, states will have no reason to sue Trump’s DHS over illegal immigration under the Laken Riley Act.
Nonetheless, make Democrats vote on the bill. Force them to reveal whether or not they have learned anything from the drubbing they took in the 2024 election.
If Democrats again vote against the bill, then they will confirm their allegiance to sinister forces that mean Americans harm.
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