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The House of Representatives, under Republican leadership, approved the
Laken Riley Act
on Wednesday, a stringent immigration detention law named after a 22-year-old nursing student from Georgia who was killed by an undocumented immigrant in the previous year.
The bill, which focuses on detaining individuals illegally present in the US who commit nonviolent offences such as theft, is set to become the first legislation President Donald Trump will sign upon his return to the White House this week.
The legislation passed with a 263-156 vote, gaining support from 46 Democrats alongside all Republican members. Earlier in the week, the Senate approved it 64-35, with 12 Democrats voting in favour, including Sens. Gary Peters, Jon Ossoff, Jeanne Shaheen, and Mark Warner, who face re-election in 2026.
In November, Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old Venezuelan citizen who was in the United States illegally, was found guilty of kidnapping, assaulting, and murdering Riley while she was jogging near the University of Georgia campus in Athens. Ibarra received a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
During the 2024 campaign, Trump and Republicans emphasised that Ibarra had been cited for shoplifting by a Georgia police department, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) did not issue a detainer for him, and he was not taken into custody.
The Laken Riley Act, authored by Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.), would require ICE to take custody of and detain
undocumented immigrants
who are charged, arrested, or convicted of committing acts of "burglary, theft, larceny, or shoplifting."
"It's bittersweet," Collins said after the vote, adding that he had spoken to Riley's family earlier in the day. "For a young lady that wanted to dedicate her career and her life to saving lives, now her name will live on forever and it will save lives."
Last year, the GOP-controlled House passed an earlier version of the bill with a vote of 264-159, including support from 48 Democrats. However, the Democratic-led Senate ignored the bill, and President Joe Biden never indicated whether he supported it.
The Senate adopted two amendments to expand the list of acts that trigger mandatory detention of unauthorized migrants: one from Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) that includes assault of a police officer, and another from Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) that includes acts causing death or bodily harm to an individual.
The passage of the Laken Riley Act occurs amidst a heated debate among Democrats about how to address immigration issues following their significant defeat in the 2024 election and how to respond to Trump's plans for mass deportation.
Pro-immigration activists have criticized the bill as a scheme to strip away due process for migrants and disrupt the system, while some Democrats have called it an unfunded mandate that will cost billions. Other Democrats in competitive districts and states supported the bill, seeking to demonstrate their commitment to strict immigration enforcement.
According to NBC News exit polls, immigration was the fourth-biggest concern among voters in the 2024 election, with those Americans voting for Trump over Democratic rival Kamala Harris by a margin of 89% to 9%. Trump also made significant gains among Latino voters and won Latino men outright, according to exit polls.
House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) addressed the divide within the party over the bill, stating, "Members will vote their districts. Members have to balance ... their love for this country with the job that they have to do for their constituents. We expect them to do both in the votes that they make."
"The Democratic Caucus believes in a safe and secure border," Aguilar continued. "We believe in order at the border and a fix to our broken immigration system. We also believe in ensuring the public safety of our communities."
Democrats who opposed the Laken Riley Act argued that the legislation was too draconian. Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), the new chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, told NBC News, "Laken Riley casts out a net to cuff, arrest and deport people who have committed minor offenses. In that sense, it is not a good thing." "Any discussion that should be had here around the issue of border security, around the issue of immigration," he said, "should include something on Dreamers, farm workers and families."
In an interview with NBC News, Laken Riley's father, Jason Riley, expressed gratitude for the lawmakers who supported the legislation, which he believed has "helped change things politically."
"I think it turned out to be a good thing," he said Wednesday. He added that he hates that her killing "became such a national story" and put the family in the spotlight, but that he understood "why it became so politically charged."
"We're very happy with the way things have turned out," he said.
