Senate Democrats have again blocked the Laken Riley Act, which would have required the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain illegal immigrants who are arrested, charged, or convicted of burglary, theft, or shoplifting.
Sen. Katie Britt (R-Alabama) spoke on the Senate floor, urging Senate Democrats to vote on the “Laken Riley Act,” named after Laken Riley, the 22-year-old nursing student who was allegedly murdered at the hands of Jose Antonio Ibarra, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela.
“The Laken-Riley Act is a bipartisan border bill that will be heard in the Senate today,” Britt said. “I am proud to be the lead Senate sponsor of this important bill, along with my North Carolina colleagues. [Sen. Ted Budd]”The Laken Riley Act passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support.”
Britt continued.
Gentleman from Georgia’s 10th Congressional District [Rep. Mike Collins] In the House of Representatives, 37 Democrats have sponsored the bill. In the Senate, the bill is bipartisan, with 47 senators on the co-sponsor list. I am confident that a bipartisan majority of Senators will support the Laken-Riley Bill and vote in its favor today. [Emphasis added]
According to Britt, Senate Democrats refused to bring the Laken Riley Act to a vote.
Earlier this month, a grand jury in Athens, Georgia, indicted Ibarra on murder charges in the death of Riley, who was found brutally beaten to death on the University of Georgia (UGA) campus on February 22.
In addition to felony murder, Ibarra is also charged with aggravated assault, aggravated assault with intent to commit rape, kidnapping with bodily injury, interfering with a 911 call and tampering with evidence.
According to the indictment, on Feb. 22, while Riley was out for a morning jog, Ibarra prevented her from calling 911 and kidnapped her. He then allegedly attempted to rape her, before brutally strangling and beating her until she died.
Riley’s body was discovered the same day in a wooded area on the University of Georgia campus.
New details in the indictment allege that on the day Ibarra allegedly killed Riley, he was spying on another University of Georgia student from the student’s apartment window, which resulted in him also being charged with voyeurism.
Ibarra was first encountered at the U.S.-Mexico border near El Paso, Texas, on September 8, 2022. Department of Homeland Security officials cited “capacity” as the reason for granting Ibarra parole and releasing him to U.S. soil, despite the availability of detention space.
On July 19, 2023, Ibarra appeared before Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in New York City, scheduled a biometric appointment and had his fingerprints taken. The fingerprints revealed that Ibarra had a criminal history, case records state.
On September 14, 2023, Ibarra was arrested for engaging in conduct likely to injure a child. Despite the charges, Ibarra was not indicted and his arrest record was expunged.
Two months later, in November 2023, Ibarra applied for an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). On December 9, 2023, Ibarra’s work authorization application was approved.
Less than three months after receiving his work permit, Ibarra was charged with Riley’s murder. Ibarra remains incarcerated without bail in Clark County Jail.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter. here.
