Trump Signs Laken Riley Act Into Law

The act requires the federal government to detain foreign nationals charged with crimes.

WASHINGTON—President Donald J. Trump, on Jan. 29, signed into law the Laken Riley Act, the first piece of legislation to receive his assent during his second term.

The act is named after the late Laken Hope Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student at Augusta University in Athens, Georgia. Riley was murdered on Feb. 22, 2024, by José Antonio Ibarra, a Venezuelan national who entered the United States illegally in 2022.

Riley’s mother, Allyson Phillips, thanked Trump and lawmakers who sponsored the bill in emotional remarks at the White House signing ceremony.

“Most importantly, I want to thank our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, because without his sacrifices, Laken’s story would have ended on that horrific day that she was taken from us. But because of him, we can continue living knowing that we will see Laken again,” Phillips said through tears.

The signing of the law, Trump said, “brings us one step closer to eradicating the scourge of migrant crime in our communities once and for all.”

Ibarra was convicted on four counts of murder on Nov. 20, 2024, by the Athens-Clarke County Superior Court for Riley’s murder.

Ibarra was waiting on immigration proceedings at the time of his attack on Riley.

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) spokesperson previously told The Epoch Times that Ibarra came in contact with the agency in September 2022 after crossing the border near El Paso, Texas. After his arrest, he was released for further immigration proceedings.

Almost a year later, in August 2023, Ibarra was arrested again in New York City and charged with “acting in a manner to injure a child less than 17” and a license violation. He was later released before immigration officials could file a detention order or initiate deportation.

The act requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain any foreign national who is charged with the crimes of “burglary, theft, larceny, shoplifting, or assault of a law enforcement officer offense, or any crime that results in death or serious bodily injury to another person,” even if that person has been granted bail from state detention by a court.

During the Biden administration, then-Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas issued a memorandum directing DHS to use its prosecutorial discretion and detain only those foreign nationals who threatened national security, public safety, or border security.

Trump campaigned in the 2024 presidential election on the promise of launching the “largest deportation operation in American history” to remove all illegal immigrants from the United States. To compel enforcement of the Laken Riley Act, the statute empowers state attorneys general to sue the federal government if foreign nationals are not detained and cause harm to their states or the states’ residents.

Trump had invoked Riley during several campaign rallies in the run-up to the 2024 election and was widely expected to sign the legislation into law given its backing from political leaders.

During his 2024 address to Congress on the State of the Union, then-President Joe Biden mentioned Riley’s name during the address after being heckled by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who, like other Republicans, wore attire that read “Say Her Name,” in reference to Riley. The Republican-led House of Representatives passed a version of the act sponsored by Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) on March 7, 2024, though it received no action in the Democratic-led Senate that year.

The act, as signed into law by Trump, was sponsored by Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and passed after receiving the support of 12 Democratic senators, many who represent states that Trump won in 2024, to invoke cloture and overcome the filibuster.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) cosponsored the bill in the Senate.

“Laken Riley’s story is a tragic reminder of what’s at stake when our systems fail to protect people. No family should have to endure the pain of losing a loved one to preventable violence,” Fetterman said in a Jan. 7 statement. “Immigration is what makes our country great. I support giving authorities the tools to prevent tragedies like this one while we work on comprehensive solutions to our broken system.”

The legislation has been widely opposed by immigration activist groups and Democrats in Congress. Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) told The Epoch Times that the law will enable the detention of non-violent foreign nationals and beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

“My belief is that [DACA] individuals could get swept up … and deported as a result of this bill,” Aguilar, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, said.

Savannah Hulsey Pointer contributed to this report.