‘Laken Riley Act’ to Make ICE Hold Theft-Suspect Immigrants

(DailyVantage.com) – The U.S. House of Representatives has passed an immigration bill named in honor of slain Georgia student Laken Riley.

House Resolution 7511 (HB 7511), or the Laken Riley Act, requires the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain migrants who have been charged with theft or burglary.

In general, Republican lawmakers are the ones who push for more stringent legislation for border and immigration security, as seen when a bipartisan spending package – which included aid for Israel and Ukraine – was recently shot down by the GOP over what they felt were inadequate provisions on border security. The Laken Riley Act was introduced by Republican Georgia Representative Mike Collins, who said that the murder of Riley should serve as a “wake up call” for America over the dangers illegal immigrants pose to the communities they are in.

The Laken Riley Act passed the chamber with a 251-170 vote, with 37 Democrats siding with all GOP members present that unanimously voted in favor of the measure.

Upon the passage of the bill, Republican Louisiana Representative and House Speaker Mike Johnson took the opportunity to slam the administration of President Joe Biden for the government’s leniency toward illegal aliens.

Many innocent Americans, Johnson said, have become victims of crimes committed by illegal aliens “the Biden administration has released into our country.”

Riley, a nursing student at the University of Georgia, was killed by Jose Antonio Ibarra, an illegal immigrant from Venezuela. Proponents of more stringent rules for illegal aliens say that the murder could have been prevented if Ibarra, who had already been arrested twice in other states for other offenses, had been detained over the crimes. Instead, he was allowed to go free, ostensibly emboldening him to commit the murder. Police still have not determined the motive behind Riley’s murder, saying that Ibarra likely saw it as a “crime of opportunity.” An investigation into Ibarra’s background also revealed that he has ties to an organized crime syndicate in Venezuela.