The Senate is moving forward with the Laken Riley Act to detain illegal immigrants involved in theft-related offenses
Atlanta: The Senate is getting closer to passing the Laken Riley Act. This new law would require immigration officials to detain illegal immigrants who commit theft or shoplifting.
On Monday, lawmakers voted 82-10 to move the bill forward. It’s a bipartisan effort, with many Democrats joining Republicans in support.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune mentioned that this act aims to fix gaps in immigration policy and prevent tragedies like the one that affected Laken Riley’s family.
Laken was a 22-year-old nursing student from Georgia. She was tragically killed by an illegal immigrant while jogging in February 2024, which sparked a lot of anger across the country.
Jose Ibarra, a member of the Tren de Aragua gang, was convicted of her murder and sentenced to life in prison last November. He had a history of legal troubles before the attack.
Before killing Laken, Ibarra had been arrested for shoplifting and had a previous incident involving child endangerment. He was released after his New York arrest, which allowed him to evade immigration enforcement.
Sadly, Laken was brutally murdered in February last year, and her case has been used to highlight issues with current immigration policies.
The Laken Riley Act aims to prevent similar situations from happening again. It also gives states the power to sue the federal government if immigration laws aren’t enforced properly.
Last year, the GOP-controlled House passed a similar bill, but it didn’t go anywhere in the Democrat-controlled Senate. Now, with Republicans in charge, they’re eager to get this bill signed into law for President-elect Donald Trump.
