Clarke County

Laken Riley Act, which would give ICE more tools, passes House ‘overwhelmingly’ in bipartisan vote

By Sam Sachs, WSBTV.com
By Sam Sachs, WSBTV.com

WASHINGTON — An immigration enforcement bill sponsored by Georgia Rep. Mike Collins reportedly passed the U.S. House of Representatives with “overwhelming” bipartisan support.

The Laken Riley Act, named for a 22-year-old nursing student who police say was killed on the University of Georiga’s campus on Feb. 22 by an undocumented migrant, prompted strong reactions across the political spectrum.

According to Collins’ office, the bill passed with 251 votes in favor, including 37 Democratic Representatives who joined all of the Republicans in the House.

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Collins, who authored the Laken Riley Act, H.R. 7511, said in a statement that the legislation is meant to give U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement more tools to “fight against illegal alien crime.”

“While we can’t bring Laken back, we must now turn our focus to doing everything we can to prevent this from happening to another American,” Collins said in a statement, in part. “The Laken Riley Act is a key piece in our fight to restore the rule of law and get criminal illegal aliens off our streets.”

According to the representative, the legislation “condemns President Joe Biden’s border policies, including catch and release, and calls on him to reinstate” the previous “Remain in Mexico” policy that was in effect while former President Donald Trump was in office.

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Additionally, the bill would amend federal law to require ICE to issue detainers and take custody of undocumented migrants who commit theft-related crimes like shoplifting, as defined by state and local laws where they reside.

The bill would also allow state Attorneys General to sue the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security for injunctive relief if immigration actions like parole, violating detention requirements or other “policy failures” harm that state or its citizens.

On Monday, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said DHS had not been notified about Jose Ibarra’s previous arrests in the United States.

Collins said in the announcement of the bill’s passage in the House that it “addresses one of the federal policy issues related to Laken Riley’s murder,” specifically that her accused killer Jose Ibarra and his brother Diego Ibarra had been cited for shoplifting by the Athens-Clarke Police Department before her death.

“If local law enforcement had called ICE, and ICE issued a detainer and picked him up, Laken Riley would be alive,” Collins said in a statement.

Similarly directed legislation has already passed in the Georgia General Assembly. House Bill 1105 specifically targets sanctuary policies, such as those in Athens-Clarke County, according to Collins, with the representative saying the sheriff refuses to honor ICE detainers.

Clarke County Sheriff John Q. Williams released a statement Thursday discussing some changes in policy being made at the sheriff’s office in the wake of Riley’s murder, though the statement added that holding someone only because of an ICE detainer would constitute a warrantless arrest, as detainers are not signed off by a judge.

Collins plans to leave his guest seat empty at Thursday’s annual State of the Union address by Biden, in honor of Riley, though his office confirmed her parents had declined an invitation to attend the event with him.

It’s unclear if Biden will directly address the Riley murder during tonight’s State of the Union in Washington.

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