Laken Riley Act Passed in the House as Republicans Rebuke Biden on the Border

The House passed the Laken Riley Act on Thursday afternoon. All Republican members who were present voted in favor of the bill. Thirty-seven Democrats supported it. 

Freshman Republican Rep. Mike Collins (GA) introduced the legislation. It requires ICE to detain any illegal alien who committed burglary or theft. The bill honors Laken Hope Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student who was murdered by an illegal alien while jogging in broad daylight on the University of Georgia campus. She died of blunt-force trauma to her head. Her skull was bashed in by the animal who killed her. The killer had previously been picked up in New York for crime and in Georgia for shoplifting and released.

Speaker Johnson said that Republicans responded to the tragedy created by President Biden’s border crisis. The open southern border is a magnet for criminals entering the country. 

“House Republicans are not going to stand by quietly while the President and his administration release dangerous criminals into our communities,” Johnson said. “The Laken Riley Act would help prevent future tragedies. If Senator Schumer and President Biden care to protect Americans and are serious about securing the border, they will bring this legislation up for a vote and sign it into law immediately.”

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia distributed pins bearing Riley’s name to other Republican lawmakers on the House floor during the vote on the bill. President Biden held up a pin during his delivery of the State of the Union address as he spoke about border security. MGT shouted Laken’s name to him as he spoke. For the first time, he said her name but he got it wrong. Biden referred to her as “Lincoln Riley.” He tried to show that he knew about her murder but it fell flat.

Rep. Collins held a moment of silence on the House floor for Laken. He invited her parents to be his guests at the SOTU address. The grieving parents declined the invitation so Collins kept a seat vacant to honor Laken and all American victims of illegal alien crime.

The bill is a rebuke to Joe Biden’s open border policy. According to a press release from Rep. Collins, the bill addresses three issues.

• It condemns President Joe Biden’s border policies, including catch and release, and calls on him to reinstate “Remain in Mexico.”
• It would amend federal law to require Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to issue detainers and take custody of illegal aliens who commit theft-related crimes, such as shoplifting, as defined by state and local law.
• It allows state Attorneys General to sue the Secretary of Homeland Security for injunctive relief if immigration actions such as parole, violation of detention requirements, or other policy failures harm that state or its citizens.

The bill directly addresses one of the federal policy issues related to Laken Riley’s murder. As is widely reported, Jose Ibarra was cited for shoplifting by the Athens Police Department prior to killing Ms. Riley. If local law enforcement had called ICE, and ICE issued a detainer and picked him up, Laken Riley would be alive.

The majority of Democrats disgracefully voted against the bill. The vote tally was 251-170. 

During the SOTU address, Biden blamed Republicans for not passing the Ukrainian aid bill that included some border security measures and funding. The bill is a hot mess that deserves scorn, not acceptance. It codifies illegal immigration to the tune of 5,000 illegal border crossings per day before the border closes. It’s a non-starter. 

The bill will not bring back Laken to her grieving family. But, at least it acknowledges her life and all those who are victims of illegal alien crime. Democrats don’t want to work with ICE or other border law enforcement officers along the border. The Biden border crisis shows how dangerous that mindset is. Shame on them.