House Passes Revamped Laken Riley Act, Sends Bill To Trump

On Wednesday, the GOP-led House passed a beefed-up version of the “Laken Riley Act,” legislation that would require federal officials to arrest non-citizens who are charged with crimes in the United States.

The tally was 263-156. Forty-six Democrats joined with Republicans in voting for the bill, which will now be sent to President Donald Trump to sign into law. The GOP-controlled Senate passed the legislation earlier this week after adding on a couple of amendments.

My statement on final passage of The Laken Riley Act. Thank you @SenKatieBritt. Next up, @POTUS desk! pic.twitter.com/vw1LzItcZa

— Rep. Mike Collins (@RepMikeCollins) January 22, 2025

As originally written, the bill directs the secretary of Homeland Security to detain illegal immigrants charged with, convicted of, or who admit to theft-related crimes. The list was expanded with one Senate amendment that added “the assault of a law enforcement officer offense, or any crime that results in death or serious bodily injury to another person.” A different amendment worked in “crimes resulting in death or serious bodily injury to the list of offenses that, if committed by an inadmissible alien, require mandatory detention.”

Another part of the “Laken Riley Act,” which has been part of the bill since the beginning, would allow states to sue federal officials for “injunctive relief” if certain immigration actions or policies harm their citizens. The Senate rejected a Democrat amendment that sought to rein in this section.

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During debate on the House floor on Wednesday, Democrat opponents warned that non-citizens simply accused of crimes might not get due process if the bill becomes law and would be a boon to private prisons.

“When a private prison camp opens in your town and they say, ‘We didn’t know this was going to happen,’ know that they did and they voted for it,” said Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY).

Rep. @AOC on during Laken Riley Act debate: “When a private prison camp opens in your town and they say, ‘we didn’t know this was going to happen,’ know that they did and they voted for it.” pic.twitter.com/fim0j9FK0F

— CSPAN (@cspan) January 22, 2025

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), a proponent of the bill, said: “Well, I certainly hope we do open as many prisons as possible to round up as many illegal aliens that have invaded our country and those that are breaking our laws, killing our citizens, women and children, and causing complete havoc across our great land.”

.@RepMTG: “Well, I certainly hope we do open as many prisons as possible to round up as many illegal aliens that have invaded our country and those that are breaking our laws, killing our citizens, women and children, and causing complete havoc across our great land.” pic.twitter.com/DeSVFAsH9v

— CSPAN (@cspan) January 22, 2025

Earlier this month, the House passed its own version of the bill with the support of 216 Republicans and 48 Democrats. But the Senate took up its own version from Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL), which was always going to need its own House vote regardless of whether amendments were attached. This came after the House first passed the “Laken Riley Act” in the last session of Congress, only for the then-Democrat-led Senate to ignore it.

“After making the bill even stronger with Sarah’s Law & a provision mirroring the POLICE Act, it heads to the House for final passage today at 3:30 ct. Once passed, Congress will have delivered results to keep Americans safe!” Britt said in a post to X in the hours before the House passed the legislation.

What happens next with the Laken Riley Act?

After making the bill even stronger with Sarah’s Law & a provision mirroring the POLICE Act, it heads to the House for final passage today at 3:30 ct. Once passed, Congress will have delivered results to keep Americans safe! pic.twitter.com/7WSiAuZxhN

— Senator Katie Boyd Britt (@SenKatieBritt) January 22, 2025

The legislation is named after Laken Riley, a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student who was killed last year. A 26-year-old illegal immigrant from Venezuela, Jose Ibarra, was convicted of murdering Riley and sentenced to life in prison.

A press release from Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA), who reintroduced the House version of the “Laken Riley Act” for the new session of Congress, said that the bill “directly addresses one of the federal policy failures” related to Riley’s murder. Ibarra “is an illegal alien who had been previously cited for shoplifting by the Athens Police Department,” it said. “If local law enforcement had called ICE, and ICE issued a detainer and picked him up, Laken would be alive.”

Looking ahead, the “Laken Riley Act” could be signed and become the first bill Trump enacts into law during his nascent second term in the White House. On the campaign trail last year, he met with family and friends of Laken Riley while highlighting her murder as being emblematic of the border crisis under the Biden administration that he vowed to address if returned to power.

When Ibarra was convicted in November on 10 charges, including murder, kidnapping, and aggravated assault with intent to rape Riley, Trump responed on social media.

“JUSTICE FOR LAKEN RILEY!” Trump exclaimed. “The Illegal who killed our beloved Laken Riley was just found GUILTY on all counts for his horrific crimes. Although the pain and heartbreak will last forever, hopefully this can help bring some peace and closure to her wonderful family who fought for Justice, and to ensure that other families don’t have to go through what they have. We love you, Laken, and our hearts will always be with you. It is time to secure our Border, and remove these criminals and thugs from our Country, so nothing like this can happen again!”