Laken Riley Act passes House with 48 Dems, all Republicans

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Laken Riley

WASHINGTON - The Laken Riley Act passed the House of Representatives, on Tuesday afternoon, the first piece of federal legislation approved by the 119th Congress after the House agreed to its rules for the term.

All voting Republicans supported the bill, along with 48 Democrats – more than the total left-wing lawmakers who voted for it last year. It passed on a 264 to 159 margin and will now be sent to the Senate.

The measure was named for 22-year-old Augusta University nursing student Laken Riley who was found dead on the University of Georgia's campus in February. Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old illegal immigrant, was found guilty of 10 total counts, including felony murder. He initially pleaded not guilty.

Supporters of former US President and 2024 presidential hopeful Donald Trump hold images of Laken Riley before he speaks at a "Get Out the Vote" rally in Rome, Georgia, on March 9, 2024. Riley, a nursing student, has become the face of immigration re

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 The bill would require federal immigration authorities to detain illegal immigrants found guilty of theft-related crimes. It also would allow states to sue the Department of Homeland Security for harm caused to their citizens because of illegal immigration.

Jose Ibarra, who was sentenced to life in prison for Riley's murder, had previously been arrested but was never detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, the agency previously said.

Several first-term House Democrats crossed the aisle on the bill, including Reps. Derek Tran, D-Calif., John Mannion, D-N.Y., and Janelle Bynum, D-Ore., all of whom won close races against Republican incumbents for their seats.

The bill passed the House along bipartisan lines last year after it was first introduced by Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga.

All voting Republicans plus 37 Democrats voted for the bill by a margin of 251 to 170. All the "no" votes on the bill were Democrats.

UNITED STATES - MARCH 7: Rep. Andy Ogles, R-Tenn., holds a Laken Riley sign during President Joe Biden's State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on Thursday, March 7, 2024. Riley was a University of Georgia student alleged

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Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said of the Democrats who opposed it last year, "I think they put politics ahead of principle. And we're going to find out where they stand on this now."

"We have every intention of doing, really important, bipartisan work," Johnson said hours before the vote on Tuesday. "We welcome with open arms any Democrat who wants to help us solve these problems because the American people demand and deserve it, it's overdue. And, we'll be looking for that and we'll see how it shakes out."

It was not taken up in the Senate, however, which at the time was controlled by then-Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

"[T]he Laken Riley Act, sponsored by Rep. Mike Collins, holds the Biden Administration accountable for their role in these tragedies through their open border policies, requires detention of illegal aliens who commit theft and mandates ICE take them into custody, and allows a state to sue the Federal government on behalf of their citizens for not enforcing the border laws, particularly in the case of parole," House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., said in his daily House floor lookout.

"House Republicans won’t stop fighting to secure the border and protect American communities. When will Democrats finally decide enough is enough?"

The Senate is also poised to vote on the bill this week.

It is one of several border security bills House Republicans have reintroduced this year as they prepare to take over all the levers of power in Washington, D.C. 

Republicans held the House and took over the Senate in the November elections. President-elect Donald Trump will take office on Jan. 20.

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