President Trump Signs the Laken Riley Act into Law
On Wednesday, President Donald Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law, marking the first piece of legislation enacted under his new administration. Named after the Georgia nursing student who was murdered by an criminal alien, the law is part of the administration’s broader effort to crack down on illegal immigration and crime.
The law mandates that illegal immigrants accused of theft or violent crimes be detained. Federal authorities are now required to hold any illegal migrant arrested or charged with crimes such as shoplifting, assault, or offenses that cause injury or death.
“If you come into this country illegally and you commit a crime, you should not be free to roam the streets of this nation,” said Senator Katie Britt, who helped push the bill through the Senate, according to the Associated Press.
Beyond detention requirements, the law grants state attorneys general the authority to sue the federal government for harm caused by immigration enforcement failures. This can include the release of migrants from custody or failure to detain individuals with deportation orders. It also gives states some authority in shaping their own immigration policies.
The bill passed with bipartisan support, though some lawmakers opposed it. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez criticized the legislation, calling it a “fundamental erosion of our civil rights.”
“In this bill, if a person is so much as accused of a crime, if someone wants to point a finger and accuse someone of shoplifting, they would be rounded up and put into a private detention camp and sent out for deportation without a day in court,” Ocasio-Cortez argued.
Despite opposition, lawmakers from both parties backed the bill as the American public has shown overwhelming support for tougher security measures when it comes to the border and those in the country illegally. Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego, recently elected as the first Latino senator from the border state, also supported the legislation.
“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,” Gallego said in a statement.
