Bill named after Laken Riley is first to be passed in US House this year

Tia Mitchell, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Jan 7, 2025

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WASHINGTON — The first bill approved by the U.S. House this year is named after the nursing student killed on University of Georgia’s campus last year.

The Laken Riley Act would allow law enforcement agencies to detain and begin deportation procedures for unauthorized immigrants accused of theft or burglary. Current law only allows this for people charged with violent crimes like rape or murder.

The measure was approved on the House floor Tuesday by a bipartisan vote of 264-159, which included U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath and 47 other Democrats.

McBath, a Marietta Democrat considered a potential candidate for Georgia governor in 2026, did not immediately say why she decided to support the bill. Her office did not respond to an email and text messages seeking comment.

Riley, 22, was found dead Feb. 22 in a wooded area near the University of Georgia’s intramural fields after she went out for a morning jog.

Jose Antonio Ibarra, the man charged with murder and accused of killing Riley, is a Venezuelan who authorities say entered the U.S. illegally in 2022. In October 2023, Ibarra and his brother, Diego Jose Ibarra, were issued citations after being accused of shoplifting in Athens-Clarke County.

Ibarra was found guilty following a bench trial in November and sentenced to life in prison. His attorneys have filed for a new trial.

U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, whose represents the area, said the legislation would help fix a system that failed Riley.

“There’s nothing we can do to bring her back,” the Jackson Republican said ahead of the vote. “But I tell you what: We can make sure this never happens again.”

All nine GOP members of Georgia’s delegation supported the bill, and the four remaining Democrats voted “no” with most members of their party. However, 11 more Democrats backed the legislation on Tuesday compared to when the House first approved it last year. McBath was among the lawmakers who switched from a “no” to a “yes.”

Then and now, most Democrats argued that Republicans were politicizing Riley’s February 2024 murder. Around that same time as she was killed, Republicans refused to move forward with a comprehensive immigration measure that had been negotiated with Democrats after Donald Trump, who was campaigning for president, said he was opposed to it.

U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said the Laken Riley Act is an “empty and opportunistic measure” that does nothing to secure the border or create legal pathways for immigration.

“This bill would upend 28 years of mandatory immigration detention policies by requiring that any undocumented immigrant arrested for theft, larceny or shoplifting be detained, even if they are never convicted or even charged with a crime,” he said.

Although the Laken Riley Act passed in the House last year, it never received a vote in the Democratic-led Senate.

That is expected to change now that Republicans control both chambers of Congress. Senate Leader John Thune took procedural steps Tuesday that could allow for a Senate vote on the Laken Riley Act later this week.

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