President Trump signed Rep. Mike Collins’ (GA-10) Laken Riley Act into law. This is the first bill signed into law by 47th U.S. President Donald Trump, and is named for Laken Riley, the 22-year-old nursing student who was murdered by an illegal alien on the University of Georgia’s campus on February 22, 2024.
“Nearly one year ago, Laken Riley’s life was taken by a career criminal illegal alien. Today, with the full support of President Trump, a bicameral group of Republicans and Democrats, and the American people, we were finally able to bring justice to the Riley family and ensure that this can never happen again,” said Rep. Mike Collins. “I am beyond grateful to President Trump for making the Laken Riley Act the first law signed under his presidency and finally giving closure to the Riley family. We’re committed to delivering commonsense solutions to fix our broken immigration system, and the Laken Riley Act delivers it.”
The Laken Riley Act requires U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain and repatriate illegal aliens who commit theft, burglary, larceny, shoplifting, assault against police officers, and crimes that result in serious bodily harm or death. This legislation also allows for states to sue the Department 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.
“Nothing meaningful happens in Washington, D.C. unless the people demand it,” continued Rep. Mike Collins. “I am beyond grateful to the thousands of concerned citizens who called their representatives’ offices to demand that the Laken Riley Act pass and that these criminals be removed from their communities.”
“I’m honored to be with President Trump, Congressman Mike Collins, members of our Congressional Delegation, and members of the Georgia House to celebrate the signing of the Laken Riley Act,” said Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns. “The American people delivered a mandate to Washington to crack down on illegal immigration and keep our citizens safe. President Trump is delivering on his promises, and here in Georgia—we stand ready to support his administration in their efforts every step of the way.”
This bipartisan bill passed 263-156 in the U.S. House of Representatives and 64-35 in the U.S. Senate, with 46 House Democrats and 12 Senate Democrats joining all Republicans.
Background
- The bill directly addresses one of the federal policy failures related to Laken Riley’s murder. Her murderer, Jose Ibarra, is an illegal alien who had been previously cited for shoplifting by the Athens Police Department. If local law enforcement had called ICE, and ICE issued a detainer and picked him up, Laken would be alive. Ibarra was found guilty in November 2024 and has been sentenced to life without parole.
- The law is supported by the Riley family, who were in attendance for the bills’ signing.
