Senate Majority Leader John Thune told the Daily Caller News Foundation on Monday that the Senate should prioritize criminal illegal immigration as a top priority because there is an “urgent need” for action amid the Biden-Harris border crisis. He announced that he had chosen to crack down on the issue.
“The horrific murder of Laken Riley at the hands of illegal aliens should never have happened,” Thune told DCNF. “We need to take urgent action on the border crisis to protect the American people, which is why I chose this as my first bill.” [Laken Riley Act] The Senate is scheduled to vote on this session. ” (Related: House members set to vote in favor of Laken Riley Act to crack down on criminal illegal immigrants)
As the 119th Congress begins, the United States Senate will work to ensure President Trump has a team in place to secure our borders, protect our homeland, and defend our country. pic.twitter.com/cggWiSzr9t
— Sen. John Thune (@SenJohnThune) January 3, 2025
The Senate is likely to vote on the bill as early as this Friday, according to DCNF information.
The House is scheduled to vote this week on a companion bill proposed by Georgia Republican Rep. Mike Collins that would also target undocumented immigrants who commit theft-related crimes.
“An illegal criminal came into my district and killed Laken Riley because law enforcement had no means to stop him,” Collins told DCNF. “Mr. Laken fought until his last breath. I will fight until this bill crosses the finish line and reaches the president's desk.”
The bill seeks to honor the memory of University of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley, who was killed in February 2024 by an undocumented immigrant while on the run near the university's campus. Jose Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan national who killed Riley, had a criminal history. He was in the United States before killing Riley and was convicted in November 2024 of killing the 22-year-old university student.
Ibarra and his brother used to arrested He was charged with shoplifting from a Walmart in Athens, Georgia in October 2022, but was ultimately released because the shoplifting charge was a misdemeanor.
If the bill being considered in the House and Senate passes both chambers and is signed into law by President-elect Donald Trump, federal immigration authorities would have to detain undocumented immigrants like Ybarra who commit theft-related crimes in the United States. be.
President Trump and Vance's transition team did not immediately respond to a DCNF inquiry about whether President Trump would sign legislation cracking down on criminal illegal immigrants.
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