Rep. Mike Collins Reintroduces the Laken Riley Act

Washington, D.C. –  Today, Representative Mike Collins (GA-10) reintroduced the Laken Riley Act for the 119th Congress. This legislation, which passed the House last year with overwhelming bipartisan support before stalling in the Senate, gives ICE and state governments more resources to fight against illegal alien criminals. 

“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,” said Collins. “I am proud that the House was able to come together and pass this bill. If the Senate will do its job, President Trump will make it law.”

Background

The legislation 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. 

The Laken Riley Act does 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 law.
• It allows state attorneys general to sue the Secretary 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.

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.