# Laken Riley Act

The Laken Riley Act is a United States law that requires the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to detain illegal immigrants admitting to, charged with, or convicted of theft-related crimes, assaulting a police officer, or a crime that results in death or serious bodily injury like drunk driving. The Act also allows states to sue the Department of Homeland Security for alleged failures in immigration enforcement.
The bill was introduced following the murder of Laken Riley by an illegal immigrant who had previously been cited for shoplifting, on the campus of the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. On January 22, 2025, the House agreed to the Senate's version of the bill with a 263–156 vote. President Donald Trump signed the bill into law on January 29, 2025.

## Background

On February 22, 2024, Georgia resident Laken Riley was murdered by José Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan man who had entered the United States illegally in September 2022, crossing the United States' southern border with Mexico near El Paso, Texas. Before the murder, Ibarra had been charged with "acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17 and a motor vehicle license violation" in New York City and arrested on charges of theft in Athens, Georgia.
The murder gained attention from both politicians and the media because Ibarra entered the United States illegally and was allowed to stay to pursue his immigration case. Immigration and Customs Enforcement stated that it had issued a detainer for Ibarra after he was arrested in New York City. However, local officials released him before he could be taken into custody.

## Provisions

The bill first requires that the Department of Homeland Security, through Immigration and Customs Enforcement, detain undocumented immigrants who "[are] charged with, [are] arrested for, [are] convicted of, [admit to] having committed, or [admit to] committing" certain illegal acts. In the original version, the list was limited to theft-related crimes.
The bill also allows states to take legal action against the federal government if they determine it is in "violation of the detention and removal requirements" of the bill.
The amended version, which passed the Senate on January 20, includes the Cornyn Amendment, which provides for detaining illegal immigrants who are charged with or convicted of assaulting a law enforcement officer, and the Ernst Amendment (nicknamed "Sarah's Law"), which includes detaining illegal immigrants who are charged with or convicted of a crime that results in death or serious bodily injury like manslaughter resulting from driving under the influence.

## Legislative history

| Congress | Short title | Bill number(s) | Date introduced | Sponsor(s) | # of cosponsors | Latest status |
| 118th Congress | Laken Riley Act | H.R. 7511 | March 1, 2024 | Mike Collins (R–GA) | 78 | Passed House |
| 119th Congress | Laken Riley Act | H.R. 29 | January 3, 2025 | Mike Collins (R–GA) | 54 | Passed House |
| 119th Congress | Laken Riley Act | S. 5 | January 6, 2025 | Katie Britt (R–AL) | 53 | Signed into law |
The bill was initially introduced in the House of Representatives in the 118th Congress and was named in honor of Laken Riley. It passed the House on March 7, 2024, by a vote of 251–170, with 37 Democrats and all Republicans voting in favor of the bill. The bill stalled amidst opposition in the then Democratic-controlled Senate of the 118th Congress. The bill was reintroduced in the House of Representatives as H.R. 29 and in the Senate as S. 5 (the two bills shared the same text and title). H.R. 29 passed the House by a vote of 264–159 on January 7, 2025, as the first bill passed in the 119th Congress. All Republicans and 48 Democrats voted in favor of passage. Seven Democrats who had voted against the bill in the 118th Congress voted in favor in the 119th.
On January 8, Senate Majority Leader John Thune moved to proceed to the consideration of the Laken Riley Act. The next day, the Senate voted to limit debate on the motion to proceed by a vote of 84–9, and, on January 13, approved it by a vote of 82–10. On January 17, following a long debate stage that spanned multiple days, the Senate invoked cloture on the bill by a vote of 61–35, with 10 Democrats voting in favor alongside all Republicans present.
The Senate passed the amended bill version by a vote of 64–35 on January 20, with twelve Democrats joining all Republicans. The Senate added two amendments to their version, one of which includes detaining illegal immigrants who are charged with or convicted of assaulting a police officer and another which provides for detaining illegal immigrants who are charged with or convicted of a crime that results in death or serious bodily injury like drunk driving. The House concurred in the Senate version on January 22, with 46 Democrats joining all Republicans. President Donald Trump signed the bill into law on January 29, 2025.

## Support and opposition

The Federation for American Immigration Reform and the Association of Mature American Citizens supported the bill. Laken Riley's mother, Allyson Phillips, stated that she was grateful the law was passed.
The American Immigration Council, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Center for Constitutional Rights, the League of Women Voters, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, the National Education Association, the National Organization for Women, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the United Steelworkers, the United Church of Christ, the National Association of Social Workers, the National Council of Churches, the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, the Center for Law and Social Policy, and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights all opposed the bill.
Critics of the bill expressed concern that it required the deportation of illegal immigrants who were charged, as opposed to actually convicted, of a crime.