On Jan. 20, the Senate passed the Laken Riley Act, with all Republican senators and 12 Democrats voting to advance the legislation.
The bill was introduced following the death of 22-year-old Augusta University student Laken Riley in Feb. 2024, who was killed while jogging on the University of Georgia campus.
The individual charged in connection with Riley’s death, José Ibarra, is a 26-year-old undocumented Venezuelan national who entered the United States in 2022. Previously, Ibarra was arrested on theft charges in Athens, Ga., and New York.
In response to the tragedy, Rep. Mike Collins, whose district includes the campus where Riley was killed, introduced the Laken Riley Act. This bill was among the first to be introduced by Republicans in the 119th Congress. This bill would require the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain undocumented immigrants who had theft, burglary or shoplifting charges until deportation. Furthermore, the bill would allow states to sue federal officials in civil court for not enforcing immigration laws.
“The Laken Riley Act gives our law enforcement the tools they need to protect their communities and ensure that no more innocent lives are lost to a broken immigration and criminal justice system,” Rep. Mike Collins said in a statement following the introduction of the legislation.
The Georgia representative issued another statement on behalf of Riley’s mother and stepfather, expressing their strong support for the act and its provisions.
“The Laken Riley Act has our full support because it would help save innocent lives and prevent more families from going through the kind of heartbreak we’ve experienced,” the second statement read. It encouraged bipartisan support for the bill. “Every single member of Congress should be able to get behind this purely commonsense bill that will make our communities safer.”
The Senate version of the bill was introduced by Sen. Katie Britt. Georgia Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock were part of the minority of Democrats who voted in support of amending the act.
“This bill isn’t the legislation I would have written,” Sen. Raphael Warnock said in a statement. “That’s why I supported amendments from Democrats and Republicans to improve the bill, and I’m deeply disappointed we didn’t have a more robust debate in the Senate to consider other ideas that could have strengthened the final product”
Sen. Jon Ossoff has not released a statement regarding his vote.
In the House, all Georgia Republicans supported the bill, while all Georgia Democrats opposed it. None of the Democratic representatives have announced whether they intend to change their stance following the Senate vote.
Joshua Cohen, fourth-year CEE, who identifies as a progressive Democrat, expressed his opposition to the act.
“I believe Senators Warnock and Ossoff voted to pass the Laken Riley Act to try to provide solace to a family and community in grieving. However, they ought to realize that the content of the law will do nothing to prevent the kind of senseless violence suffered that day,” he said.
“The truth is that this act doesn’t really change how major felonies like murders are charged — it just lowers the bar for who can be held in detention without a conviction. If an undocumented mother shoplifts a loaf of bread for her family and is arrested, she’s now legally mandated to be held in detention without the right to a bond hearing. This isn’t how our justice system is supposed to work.”
While some have criticized the legislation, others have focused on efforts to honor Laken Riley’s legacy. Riley’s family established the Laken Hope Foundation, which hosts fundraisers in support of numerous causes that Laken Riley herself cared for, including community safety.
The Laken Hope Foundation has raised over $300k for women’s safety awareness, tuition assistance for pre-med and nursing students, and children’s healthcare.
The Laken Riley Act is expected to be one of the first bills to reach President Trump’s desk, aligning with his administration’s focus on stricter enforcement of immigration laws. On his first day in office, President Trump challenged birthright citizenship under the 14th Amendment and announced a mass deportation plan targeting cities across the United States.