Republicans introduced the bipartisan Laken-Reilly Act to the Senate after passing the House with the support of 251 Republicans and 37 Democrats.
On Wednesday, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL), and Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) spoke to House Mike Collins with the Department of Homeland’s request. Rep. (R-GA) introduced the Laken Riley Act. A security agency (DHS) that detains illegal aliens who have been arrested, charged, or convicted of crimes such as robbery, theft, theft, and shoplifting.
“Raken Riley should still be alive, and we must act to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again in our country…We prioritize American lives over illegal aliens. We have to,” Blackburn said.
Supporters of former U.S. president and 2024 presidential candidate Donald Trump pose with Laken Riley before speaking at a “Get Out the Vote” rally in Rome, Georgia on March 9, 2024. Hold a photo in your hand. (ELIJAH NOUVELAGE/AFP via Getty Images)
“We can no longer tolerate senseless tragedies like this. What happened to Laken Riley should never happen to any American citizen,” Budd said.
Specifically, the law requires that illegal aliens charged with local charges in the United States be detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) if they are not already in custody by local, state, or federal authorities. This requires DHS to issue a
An ICE detainer asked local law enforcement to detain the illegal alien until federal agents take over.
Britt said Riley’s killing was “a direct and avoidable result of President Biden and his administration’s deliberate open border policy,” while Collins thanked Britt for leading the legislation.
Thank you to Senator Britt for leading the way in passing this important legislation in the Senate. Then we can put Laken Riley’s name on Joe Biden’s desk and take a step toward preventing this from happening to another American. [Emphasis added]
Dozens of House Democrats supported the Laken-Reilly Act, but the Biden administration has declined to say whether the president supports the bill.
Some Senate Democrats have already criticized the bill.
“Laken Riley didn’t deserve what happened to her… [the Laken Riley Act] It’s smoke and mirrors from people who aren’t serious,” Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) told MSNBC. “…Instead of inciting this tragic death by this young woman, they should get serious and pass bipartisan legislation to address the border crisis.”
On February 22, 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley was found murdered in a wooded area on the University of Georgia campus after a morning run. The next day, Ibarra, a native of Venezuela, was arrested and charged with murder.
Months before Riley’s murder, Ybarra was cited in Athens on a shoplifting charge and later served with a bench warrant for failure to appear on that charge. Despite the charges, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) did not take him into custody.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Please email jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.
