Representative Mike Collins' (R-GA) pivotal legislation, the Laken Riley Act, has passed in both the House and the Senate and will head to President Donald Trump's (R) desk. 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.
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.
President Trump repeatedly mentioned Laken Riley's name throughout the campaign cycle. He met with her parents in March before a rally he held in Georgia. Trump scorched then-President Joe Biden (D) for describing Laken's killer as an "illegal immigrant."
The Laken Riley Act passed in the House with a vote tally of 263-156, with 46 Democrats joining all Republicans. Companion legislation in the upper chamber was introduced by Senator Katie Britt (R-AL). 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.
