WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Laken Riley Act was signed into law Wednesday, less than one year after the death of the Georgia nursing student it was named after.
Prosecutors say a Jose Ibarra, who was in the country without legal permission, killed Laken Riley during a struggle.
Ibarra waived his right to a jury trial and was found guilty in November of murder and other crimes by a judge, who alone heard and decided the case.
He was sentenced to life without parole.
Her mother was at the White House, and spoke moments before the President signed the bill.
“We also want to thank President Trump for the promises he made to us. He said he would secure our borders and that he would never forget about Lain. And he hasn’t. He’s a man of his word. We trust that he will fight for the American people.”
The Laken Riley Act requires the detention of unauthorized immigrants accused of theft, burglary, assaulting a law enforcement officer, and any crime that causes death or serious bodily injury.
It also allows state attorneys general to sue the federal government if decisions by immigration enforcement cause harm.
One of the act’s co-sponsors, Georgia State Representative Mike Collins, says he’s “beyond grateful to President Trump for the Laken Riley Act.”
The President says this act represents a big step towards his immigration ambitions.
“Today’s signings bring us one step closer to eradicating the scourge of migrant crime in our communities once and for all. The heroes of ICE have arrested 1000s of illegal alien criminals, including hundreds of gang members, traffickers, child predators, terrorists and murderers.”
Some have raised concerns that the bill will strip due process rights for migrants.
According to the American Civil Liberties Union…
“This legislation offers no solutions to improve our immigration system.”
After signing the Laken Riley Act into law, President Trump announced that he is directing the opening of a detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to hold up to 30,000 migrants who are living illegally in the United States and cannot be deported to their home countries.
In Tennessee on Wednesday, the special session at the state Capitol was abruptly halted after police forcibly removed several protestors from the audience.
The disruption happened during a hearing on House Bill 6001, which aims to criminalize the adoption of sanctuary city policies, establish an immigration enforcement division within the Department of Public Safety, and restrict non-citizens to temporary ID cards in Tennessee.
State patrol officers were called in to remove the protestors after they refused to leave.
Republican lawmakers argue that the proposed legislation is necessary to enhance safety and restore law and order.
The session ended without further discussion on the bill, which remains on track to move forward to the House.
