President Donald Trump (R) has signed the Laken Riley Act into law. The bill immediately deports illegal immigrants who have been arrested for shoplifting, assault against police officers, and crimes that result in death or serious bodily injury.
It also grants states the ability to sue the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) 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 is named in honor of Laken Riley, a University of Georgia student who was brutally murdered by an illegal immigrant in February of 2024. Her killer was sentenced to life in prison without parole in November.
According to Fox News, President Trump told reporters ahead of signing the Laken Riley Act that "This horrific atrocity should never have been allowed to happen," and "And as president, I'm fighting every single day to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again."
Moreover, NBC News reported Trump saying "That’s why I’m here instead of somebody else. Actually, it’s the biggest reason," and called the Laken Riley Act a "landmark" piece of legislation that is "going to save countless innocent American lives."
The Laken Riley Act was brought forth by Representative Mike Collins (R-GA) in the House and Senator Katie Britt (R-AL) in the upper chamber.
Upon the bill's passage, Rep. Collins shared that this was a bipartisan moment in which politics were put "aside" to fix the "broken" immigration system.
“Today, Republicans and Democrats put partisan politics aside to save lives and reform a broken system that has failed American citizens across the country,” said Rep. Collins.
He also mentioned that Laken Riley's name will "live on" through this bill.
“The Laken Riley Act is bipartisan legislation that fixes a bipartisan problem, and I am proud that the country has come together to ensure that no family must live through the pain that an illegal immigrant has caused Riley’s. Laken Riley was in school to save lives, and although her opportunities were taken away, her name will live on as this bill prevents deaths like hers,” concluded Rep. Collins.
The Laken Riley Act passed in the House with a vote tally of 263-156, with 46 Democrats joining all Republicans. Senators Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Rev. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) voted for the bill.
Moreover, Senators John Fetterman (D-PA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) also voted for the bill. The final tally in the upper chamber was 64-35.
This is the first piece of legislation President Trump has signed since arriving in the Oval Office on Jan. 20.
