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Senate passes Laken Riley Act with 12 Democrats siding with all Republicans

The young student was killed by an illegal immigrant on the University of Georgia campus on Feb. 22, 2024.

The legislation had bipartisan support in both chambers/ Elijah NouvelageAFP.

Published by
Joaquín Núñez

The Senate has passed the Laken Riley Act. Twelve Democrats joined all Republicans in voting for it, albeit with some modifications. It will therefore have to go back to the House of Representatives before reaching Donald Trump's desk. The legislation would force Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to arrest illegal immigrants for "any theft, burglary or shoplifting offense."

When it came time to vote, 64 senators voted in favor and 35 voted against, reinforcing the bipartisan support that the bill already garnered in the lower House.

Among the amendments approved, two amendments stand out. The first was from Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who added assault on a law enforcement officer to the offenses that trigger arrest. He was joined by Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), whose amendment extends the offense to those who cause death or bodily harm. The House is expected to vote again as quickly as possible in order to then send the bill to Trump's desk.

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Democrats who voted in favor of the Laken Riley Act:

  • Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV)
  • John Fetterman (D-PA)
  • Ruben Gallego (D-AZ)
  • Maggie Hassan, (D-NH)
  • Mark Kelly (D-AZ)
  • Jon Ossoff (D-GA)
  • Gary Peters (D-MI)
  • Jacky Rosen (D-NV)
  • Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
  • Elissa Slotkin (D-MI)
  • Mark Warner (D-VA)
  • Raphael Warnock (D-GA)

The legislation is named after Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student who was murdered by an illegal immigrant on the University of Georgia campus on Feb. 22, 2024. The man responsible for the crime, Jose Ibarra, was sentenced in November to life imprisonment without parole.

What does the Laken Riley Act do?

According to Congressman Collins, the legislation directly addresses one of the flaws related to Riley's murder.

"Her killer, Jose Ibarra, is an illegal immigrant who had previously been cited for shoplifting by the Athens Police Department. If local police had called ICE, and ICE had issued a warrant and arrested him, Laken would be alive. Ibarra was convicted in November 2024 and has been sentenced to life without parole," explained the Georgia Republican.

With this in mind, the legislation would do two things:

  • 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 laws. Cornyn's amendment would add assault on a law enforcement officer to the offenses that trigger detention, while Ernst's would expand that possibility to acts that cause death or bodily injury.
  • It would allow state attorneys general to sue the secretary of Homeland Security for injunctive relief if immigration actions such as parole, failure to comply with detention requirements or other policy failures harm that state or its citizens.
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