WASHINGTON, DC–President Donald Trump signed the Laken Riley Act into law at the White House on Wednesday, marking the first bill he has approved since returning to office.
The law requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain illegals who have been arrested, charged, or convicted of burglary, theft, shoplifting, or larceny.
Moments before signing the legislation, Trump noted that states also have the opportunity under the new law “to sue the federal government for immediate injunctive relief” if future administrations do not enforce the nation’s immigration laws.
The law is named to honor 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley, who was viciously murdered by an illegal alien Tren de Aragua gang member, Jose Antonio Ibarra, on February 22, 2024, in Athens, Georgia.
“From the time she was in first grade, Laken knew she wanted to spend her time caring for others. That’s what she did,” Trump said ahead of the signing. “To her friends and classmates, she was a light of warmth and kindness in every single room. To her parents and family, she was everything in the world. They’ve had a miserable period of time.”
As Breitbart News reported of Riley’s murder:
The day Riley was murdered, she went for a jog on a route that she ran often without any prior incident. Riley was an avid runner and nursing school student at Augusta University.
When Riley did not return after her jog, her roommates searched for her and called UGA police. Riley’s body was discovered bludgeoned in a wooded area on the UGA campus. The following day, Ibarra was arrested and charged with Riley’s murder.
Ibarra crossed the U.S.-Mexico border near El Paso, Texas, on September 8, 2022. Biden and Harris’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released Ibarra into the U.S. interior with parole, citing a lack of available detention space even though more than 8,000 detention beds were available at the time.
Ibarra was convicted of all counts and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Trump emphasized that Ibarra was arrested in New York after being released into the United States. After he was released from custody in New York, he received a taxpayer-funded flight to Georgia, where he was arrested for “stealing from a Walmart.” Federal law enforcement released him again before he murdered Riley, Trump noted.
Riley’s family was in attendance at the White House signing.
“To Laken’s family, we will keep Laken’s memory alive in our hearts, forever–everyone’s hearts. With today’s action, her name will also live forever in the laws of our country, and this is a very important law,” he said.
Riley’s mother, Allyson Phillips, thanked Sen Katie Britt (R-AL) and Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) for helping lead the bill’s passage through Congress. She then thanked people from all over the country for their prayers for her family.
“We also want to thank President Trump for the promises he made to us. He said he would secure our borders and that he would never forget about Laken, and he hasn’t,” she said, fighting back tears. “He’s a man of his word. Trust that he will fight for the American people.”
“Most importantly, I want to thank our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, because, without His sacrifices, Laken’s story would have ended on that horrific day that she was taken from us, but because of Him, we can continue living knowing that we will see Laken again,” she added.
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